Every sports franchise has its fair share of draft misses, with many irreplicable athletes falling through the cracks either to incompetence or the odds.
The one (or several) that got away by a single pick, Nets version.
Isiah Thomas (1981)
The Nets selected franchise legend Buck Williams with the No. 3 overall pick in 1981, though one pick earlier watched two-time NBA champion Isiah Thomas go to the Detroit Pistons. Williams, a three-time All-Star, still had an iconic eight-year Nets career which included 1981-82 Rookie of the Year and 1982-83 All-NBA honors alongside his No. 52 jersey retirement in 1999 as one of the all-time greats.
Thomas had a far greater impact on the game in his 13 seasons with Detroit, though, earning 12 All-Star selections, five All-NBA nods and 1989-90 Finals MVP. One of the best point guards in league history, Thomas was also inducted into the Hall of Fame (2000) and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021).
John Stockton (1984)
New Jersey went with Jeff Turner at No. 17 in 1984, one pick after Utah took Gonzaga guard John Stockton. Turner averaged 5.1 points through 201 appearances with the Nets, while Stockton went on to become the greatest pickpocket passer the NBA has ever seen. The all-time assists and steals leader was an 11-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-Defensive guard at 6-foot-1, 10-time All-Star, nine-time assists champion and two-time steals champion in 19 years with the Jazz.
Stockton was also inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009 and later joined the star-studded NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Twice in four years, the Nets missed out on generational backcourt talent.
Gary Payton (1990)
No. 1 overall pick Derrick Coleman averaged a double-double (19.9 points, 10.6 rebounds) in five seasons with the Nets, adding the 1990-1991 Rookie of the Year award, two All-NBA honors and one All-Star campaign in New Jersey before his trade to the 76ers in 1995. On the other hand, Payton was drafted No. 2 by Seattle and played 13 seasons for the Sonics during his Hall of Fame career.
The 1995-96 Defensive Player of the Year quickly emerged as an unparalleled trash talker alongside nine All-Star, nine All-NBA and nine All-Defensive accolades with Seattle. Payton marked the third future NBA 75th Anniversary Team player within a decade drafted just one pick removed from the Nets.
Rajon Rondo, Kyle Lowry (2006)
Marcus Williams and Josh Boone: those were the Nets’ back-to-back, first-round picks at No. 22 and 23 in 2006, bookended by Rajon Rondo (No. 21) and Kyle Lowry (No. 24).
Williams and Boone combined for 388 appearances, 97 starts and one All-Rookie honor with the Nets, as Rondo and Lowry banked 10 All-Star selections, two All-NBA honors and three championships. Eight seasons in the NBA for the Nets' 2006 first-round draftees versus 35 seasons and counting for the bordering prospects.
Lowry later helped sweep the Nets in the first round of the 2020 playoffs as a member of the Toronto Raptors.