The Brooklyn Nets have not had much luck in star acquisitions reaping great rewards. During the summer of 2013, the Nets gambled much of their future to land Boston Celtics veterans Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry. All three eventually left the organization with little to show for it. In 2019, Brooklyn splashed on Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and later traded for James Harden. But the Nets' biggest regret from their past five years of moves is more shocking than fans might be able to handle.
Many believed Brooklyn's biggest mistake was signing Durant and Irving during the 2019 free agency period. To acquire the two stars, the Nets were forced to part ways with fan favorite and former All-Star D'Angelo Russell. Many fans, including the author of this article, believed letting Russell go was a poor decision. Russell was the Nets' first All-Star since Joe Johnson's 2013-14 appearance. They also gave up former franchise cornerstone Brook Lopez for Russell. How could they let him go for stars whose tenures were going to be unpredictable?
No discredit to Durant and Irving. They were both proven NBA champions by the time they landed with the Nets. But there was something about Brooklyn giving up one of their homegrown talents that did not feel right. Yet, Sean Marks and the front office knew they had to take a chance because talents like Irving and Durant do not come along often. Thus, sending Russell packing was not Brooklyn's biggest regret. Rather, it was what happened a year and a half later, on that fateful Jan. 13, 2021 evening.
Trading for James Haden is where the Nets went wrong
On Jan. 13, 2021, news broke that Brooklyn pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets and several other teams for James Harden. Part of the exchange for Harden included Brooklyn giving up three unprotected first-round picks and four pick swaps. But the loss of draft assets was just one of the worst parts of the trade.
The Nets sent former starting center Jarrett Allen to the Cleveland Cavaliers and guard Caris LeVert to the Indiana Pacers as part of the deal. Allen was previously Brooklyn's most promising center since Brook Lopez and eventually became an All-Star. Meanwhile, LeVert was another highly-promising homegrown talent who provided exceptional depth to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving before he was traded.
As fans know, James Harden eventually requested a trade from the Nets, and his wish was granted in February of 2022. The Nets acquired Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks in a deal that sent Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers. Had Harden stayed in Brooklyn, the team might have had its best chance to win a championship, especially considering their promising showing against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
However, Harden's tenure never materialized into the success the Nets hoped for. Had they not traded for Harden in the first place, they would have kept more young rising stars who might have delivered what Harden was supposed to help do anyway.
Thankfully in 2024, the Nets find themselves in a desirable situation. They acquired their own 2025 and 2026 first-round picks back from the Rockets amid other assets from their Kevin Durant and Mikal Bridges trades.
Many in the Nets community painfully look back on how things transpired with James Harden, but at the very least, he helped bring more buzz and excitement to the borough. And while Harden is no longer there, the same excitement for the future remains, as the Nets step into another promising era.