The Nets have not exactly been renowned over their lengthy history for their success at the trade table, with one particular recent move of note involving a couple of Boston Celtics legends well past their prime immediately coming to mind. But while the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce trade didn't exactly prove to be the franchise-altering move they'd hoped – at least not in a positive sense – there have been a number of great moves that the Nets have made over the journey. These are the seven best of them.
7. 1992. Nets acquire Jayson Williams from Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for two second-round draft picks.
In 1992, the Nets picked up Jayson Williams for the Sixers without having to give up a whole lot, and though he was no superstar he did become a reliable presence for the Nets and played a key role in their return to the playoffs in 1998. That came during one of his best seasons, when he averaged 12.9 points and 13.6 boards as one of the pre-eminent rebounders in the NBA. The next year, he broke his leg in a collision with teammate Stephen Marbury, and would never play again. That cut short his career in a big way, but he still had a significant impact on the franchise during his time with the Nets.
6. 1982. Nets acquire Darryl Dawkins from Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a first-round draft pick and cash.
Darryl Dawkins wasn't exactly a superstar for the Nets, but he was a major reason for their consistent presence in the playoffs during his time with the team. He maxed out at 16.8 points and 6.7 rebounds a game, but was hyper-efficient – going at over 59% from the field every season from the team. In the first four of his five seasons in New Jersey, the Nets made the playoffs, though only once did they make it past the First Round. This wasn't a trade which skyrocketed the franchise into championship contention, but it did play a major role in helping them to become and remain relevant – something which they need after failing to win more than 37 games in their first five seasons in the NBA.
5. 1970. Nets acquire Rick Barry from Virginia Squires in exchange for a draft pick and cash.
Just a couple of years into their existence, the Nets acquired their first star of the league when Rick Barry arrived. Barry helped to set the scene for what – or more aptly who – was to come a couple of years later, even though he didn't actually share the court with Julius Erving. Barry only spent two years in New Jersey, but what a couple of years they were. He averaged 29.4 points, 6.8 boards and 5.0 assists in his first year with the team, before upping that to 31.5 points and 7.5 rebounds the next season. He led the Nets to their first two 40-win seasons, the second of which culminated in an ABA Finals appearance.
4. 2004. Nets acquire Vince Carter from Toronto Raptors in exchange for Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams and two first-round draft picks.
Vince Carter didn't have the franchise-altering impact of some of the names to come on this list with the Nets, but he was still a valuable player for them and helped lead them to playoff appearances in the first three of his five seasons with the team. To get him, the Nets basically dumped a few veteran salaries, while the two picks they gave up didn't ultimately amount to too much in the NBA. The human highlight reel that was Vince Carter averaged 27.5 points per game in his first year with the franchise, and while that would be the highest number he would average he did still put in at least 20 points per game every season there, and was an NBA All-Star in each of his first three seasons.
3. 2001. Nets acquire draft rights to Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong from Houston Rockets in exchange for draft rights to Eddie Griffin
This was Rod Thorn's first trade as Nets' executive, and it was a mighty good one – as evidenced by the fact that he would go on to win Executive of the Year in this season. This trade brought in a couple of players who would play key roles in the Nets' rapid ascent which came after a number of years in the lower reaches of the Eastern Conference. Jefferson played seven seasons with the Nets and would go on to be a 20 point per game scorer, while Jason Collins was a pivotal part of the defense at center. Both those players were pivotal in the development of this franchise, though it's the next trade – which occurred in the same year – which had the most significant impact on their rise into a championship contender.
2. 2001. Nets acquire Jason Kidd, Chris Dudley from Phoenix Suns in exchange for Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman and Soumaila Samake
2001 was a good season for the Nets on the trade table. After season after season after season of mediocrity, this trade helped to change the course of the franchise, and though it didn't yield them the ultimate success for which they were hoping it did still help to drag them out of the Eastern Conference doldrums, with Jason Kidd – along with the names the Nets acquired in the above trade – the primary reason why. After winning just 26 games the season prior, the Nets doubled their win tally in Kidd's first year and made their way to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. They repeated that effort again the next year, and were then a perennial playoff team for the next four years with Kidd at the helm. During his seven seasons with the Nets, Kidd was a 5x All-Star, 3x member of the All-NBA First or Second Team, and 6x member of the NBA All-Defensive First or Second Team.
1. 1973. Nets acquire Julius Erving, Willie Sojourner from Virginia Squires in exchange for George Carter, rights to Kermit Washington and cash.
Clearly, the name of note here is Julius Erving. Dr. J would of course go on to play the bulk of his career in Philadelphia, but during his three seasons in New Jersey he certainly made his mark. Averaging in excess of 27 points on 50% shooting, 10 rebounds and 5 assists every year with the team, he was the ABA MVP three times in a row during his tenure, but more significant than that was the team success that he brought to the Nets. In his first season there – just the Nets' sixth in the league – he led them to their inaugural championship, winning the Finals MVP along the way, while two years later history repeated itself. Of course, the Nets subsequently traded him in one of the worst moves in his history, but he nonetheless went down as one of the franchise's greatest ever players, and having brought the only two championships to the city, was the focal point of their greatest ever trade.
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