National Basketball Association

Brooklyn Nets Draft Picks: Who Did They Turn Into?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Jul 18, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets general manager Billy King (left) shakes hands with owner Mikhail Prokhorov during a press conference to introduce the newest members of the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

In recent memory, Brooklyn Nets ownership has made some very questionable decisions. Most notably, it was recent general manager Billy King trading away a litany of draft picks for players who never panned out for Brooklyn.

Over the course of nearly six years, Billy King parted ways with seven first round draft picks, and, in hindsight, of course, it looks awful. You can argue that his “win-now” mentality doomed the Brooklyn Nets for subsequent years because he traded their future for a handful of guys who couldn’t challenge in the Eastern Conference.

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An aging Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, Deron Williams, and Gerald Wallace were some of the pieces that got exchanged for many first rounders. Three of them alone were for KG and Pierce, with Jason Terry and D.J. White being thrown in there to make the deal worthwhile.

It gets even better: not only were three picks traded outright, but the Boston Celtics can also swap first round picks with the Nets during the first round of an incredibly loaded 2017 Draft.

These weren’t the only dubious deals that the franchise has executed, but they are the ones that have had the most impact on the current state of the team.

Mar 31, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) high-fives guard Deron Williams (8) against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

February 23, 2011

When this move got facilitated, it seemed like an excellent acquisition. But D-Will left a bad taste in Nets fans’ mouths because his production after the trade was nowhere near what it was in Utah. King traded for a guy who averaged 19.2 points and 10.5 assists over a four-year stretch with the Jazz, but he got to the then-New Jersey Nets and injuries prevented him from returning to that form.

Even before coming over, Williams had two years where he played in less than 70 games after playing 80 or more in his first three years.

Enhancing the sting is that the 2011 pick turned out to be the third overall, and the Jazz selected Enes Kanter; Gorgui Dieng got picked in 2013, but he’s just now starting to make an impact in Minnesota. The Nets surely wouldn’t have taken Kanter since Brook Lopez was already their franchise center, but the 2011 draft included the likes of Kemba Walker and Brandon Knight. New Jersey wouldn’t make the playoffs until 2013, and both of those guys were showing promise early in their careers.

Brooklyn was fortunate enough to retain a pick in 2011, but it was 29th. And they selected JaJuan Johnson who played a whopping zero games with the franchise.

The 2013 pick doesn’t hurt as much because of how collectively weak that class was, and also because the Nets selected 22nd (Dieng was the 21st). They snagged Mason Plumlee, who made an impact before he was shipped off to Portland.

Bonus pick: that same day, King traded a 2012 second-rounder and Troy Murphy to the Golden State Warriors for Dan Gadzuric and Brandan Wright. Draymond Green was selected, but it was tough to project him being such an outstanding talent in the league today.

Mar 20, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Boston Celtics small forward Gerald Wallace (45) shoots the ball as San Antonio Spurs forward spurs reggie williams (55) and Matt Bonner (R) defend during the second half at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 101-89. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

March 15, 2012

The Nets were in the midst of yet another horrible season when the front office went all in on Wallace. This deal, from a personnel standpoint, was heavily favoring the Nets. Okur was brought on for a second round pick, which wasn’t too bad, and both he and Williams struggled with injuries worse than Wallace did.

When he was healthy, Crash was a hard-nosed defender who did all the dirty work and made all the hustle plays. He was also a decent player on offense and a great rebounder for his size.

Okur got waived by Portland after the trade and hasn’t played in the league since 2012. Williams was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2015 and also hasn’t played in the NBA. Since the Blazers were taking on two injury-prone bigs who weren’t going to contribute, a first round pick got added into the deal, and he turned out to be a franchise-changing player.

The Nets’ 22-44 season birthed Portland the sixth overall pick, and Damian Lillard was the player called in that spot on draft night.

Just sit and imagine what could’ve been.

Obviously, there’s no concrete evidence that the Nets would’ve grabbed Lillard had they held onto the pick, but it stings seeing his name and the New Jersey Nets on the same trade ticker.

I digress, but it’s logical why King wouldn’t want to hold onto that pick, even if it got exchanged for a good defensive wing who spent not even two full seasons with the organization. The Nets already had Williams, who played a whole 55 games during the 2011-12 season, so why would the franchise want to replace their productive–but constantly hurt–floor general?

Furthermore, Lillard thrived instantly with the Blazers en route to Rookie of the Year.

Just thinking about the potential of a Brook Lopez/Lillard pick-and-roll makes me hurt a little bit.

Feb 19, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets small forward Joe Johnson (7) drives against New York Knicks small forward Lance Thomas (42) and power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) during the third quarter at Barclays Center. The Nets defeated the Knicks 109-98. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

July 11, 2012

This swap hurts the least. Even though Johnson wasn’t the threat he was in Atlanta, the Nets got three-and-a-half solid years out of him before shipping him off to Miami. Ownership traded the farm for him, but J.J.’s production made it all worthwhile. The first-rounder that the Hawks got turned into Shane Larkin, who’s had a less-than-stellar career.

Gorgui Dieng was also selected this year, and that got covered in the Deron Williams section. It makes you think how much young talent that Nets could’ve accumulated had they held onto their picks. Granted, Brooklyn began being competitive, and the 2012-13 season marked the first of three consecutive trips to the playoffs.

It appeared everything was starting to come together. The Nets had traded for three guys who could contribute–when healthy–and were going about the process of signing various free agents who could fill different roles on the roster.

The only issue with this is that the young guys on the team weren’t getting the in-game time to develop because the Nets had a five-year window to bring home a championship.

That in itself was way too high of a goal since LeBron James had shown he had his hands wrapped tightly around the conference. The team constructed around him was far too talented for almost anyone to compete with.

It wasn’t an ideal position to be in, but at least they had a bevy of first-round draft picks.

Jul 18, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; From left general manager Billy King , owner Mikhail Prokhorov , head coach Jason Kidd , Kevin Garnett , Paul Pierce , and Jason Terry during a press conference to introduce the newest members of the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

July 12, 2013

I don’t know where to start.

On paper, the trade looks great. A handful of below-average NBA players for two future Hall-of-Famers and one of the NBA’s best perimeter shooters. The first issue lies with age. KG was 37 at the start of the 2013-14 season; Pierce and Terry were both 36. Second, they exchanged a first for Wallace before this, and he didn’t even have time to unpack his bags in Brooklyn before having to leave for Beantown.

Of course, looking back on it, it’s easy to say how short-sighted this deal was. There was no chance that roster was ever going to make serious noise in the playoffs–the East was simply too top heavy. The lack of a game-changing superstar didn’t help, either.