There is generally no shortage of free agents looking to move to The Big Apple, but historically they bypass Brooklyn (or New Jersey) and head straight to the Knicks. Of course, after the likes of Caris Levert and Joe Harris helped to turn the plucky Nets into an exciting, developing young team, all of a sudden that all changed, and a couple of fish bigger than this franchise had previously ever dreamed of catching suddenly joined the party. Those recent signings head the list of best ever Nets' free agent signings, and by some margin, too. Without wanting to denigrate others who have joined the team of their own accord over the years, there is a pretty hefty difference between the top and bottom end of this list, but I digress. Starting at number ten, let's count down the eight best free agent signings in Nets history.

8. Andray Blatche (2012)

After showing some promise in Washington over the first few seasons of his career, Andray Blatche signed with the Nets in 2012 and proved to be a decent player off the bench during his first season, during which the team made the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. In just 19 minutes he averaged 10.3 points and 5.1 assists per game, while the next year he upped that to 11.2 and 5.3 as the Nets made the second round. That was as far as it went for Blatche – not exactly the most memorable stint in Brooklyn, but I did warn you that this list starts off slow.

7. Jordan Farmar (2010)

After winning a couple of championships in Los Angeles – albeit as very much a role player – Farmar joined a limited Nets team in 2010 and would serve as an okay-but-not-that-good point guard for them for a couple of years. In his first season there he averaged 9.6 points and 5.0 assists in a little over 24 minutes, while those points went slightly up and the assists slightly down the next season. Then, a guy called Deron Williams arrived to take over the ball-handling duties with a little more competence, and that was all she wrote for Farmar in Brooklyn.

6. Todd MacCulloch (2001)

After two seasons in Philadelphia averaging under 10 minutes per game to start his NBA career, MacCulloch signed with a Nets team in need of a center in 2001. His productivity immediately jumped on a team which needed a player like him, and in his first season with the Nets he averaged 9.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in a little over 24 minutes per game. Though those stats don't jump off the page, he was an interior presence on the first ever Nets team to make it through to the NBA Finals, so he must have been doing something right. Unfortunately his career didn't go much further due to a chronic foot condition, and Game 4 of the Finals that year which marked a sweep at the hands of the Lakers was MacCulloch's last game with the franchise.

5. Deandre Jordan (2019)

The 2019 was some summer for the Nets. Deandre Jordan isn't exactly the primary reason why – more on that later – but he was still a solid signing for the team. Of course, by this stage he was more than a decade into his career and well past his best, but as a former All-Star, 3x All-NBA player, and 2x member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team, he still had a little to give. Though a shadow of his former self, he was still a force on the glass, averaging 10.0 rebounds to go with 8.3 points in just 22 minutes in his first season. The next year his numbers dwindled to 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, but he was still a reasonably important foil to his more talented teammates on a team which, though underperforming, still made it through to the Conference Semis in his second seasno.

4. Patty Mills (2021)

Everybody loves Patty Mills, and though his stay in Brooklyn was reasonably short he made a positive impact in his time there both on and off the court. The sharpshooting Australian signed with the Nets in 2021 after ten fruitful seasons under Coach Pop in San Antonio, and immediately showed his prowess from the outside. In his first season with the team he averaged 11.4 points in 29 minutes while shooting 40% from deep, and his ability to provide a persistent threat off the ball and consistently make the right reads made him a really valuable partner to the likes of Harden and Durant. What's more, in a season in which consistency was severely lacking in terms of who the Nets put out on the court, Mills was a constant presence, playing 81 games – comfortably the most for the team. That season he also won the NBA Sportsmaship Award, highlighting his contribution off the court. Mills' second and final year with the team wasn't quite as productive, but he was still a solid off-the-bench scorer for them.

3. Armen Gilliam (1993)

Harking back to the '90s now, to when Armen Gilliam signed with the Nets six years after he was drafted with the second pick in the NBA draft. Unfortunately the team wasn't particularly successful during his three seasons there – they made the playoffs (only to be knocked straight out by the Knicks) in his first, but won just 30 games in his next two. Gilliam, however, was a solid contributor during that relatively difficult time. His numbers improved every season he was with the team; his points jumped from 11.8 in his first to 18.3 in his third, his rebounds from 6.1 to 9.1, and his assists from 0.8 to 1.8. The mid-90s weren't the most productive time in Nets' history, but Gilliam was a solid free agency signing.

2. Kyrie Irving (2019)

Now to the big guns. We all know the background surrounding Kyrie – most notably, from a Nets perspective, the fact that he committed to wanting to stay in Boston after a season only to leave the very next year. But hey, if a guy of Irving's talent wants to play for you, you let him. Irving would go on to play three-and-a-half seasons with the Nets, and though unfortunately he was hampered by injury throughout and never played more than 54 games in a year, his productivity was still hard to ignore. He averaged at least 26.9 points and 5.3 assists per game in his time with the team, and thrilled Nets fans with his unparalleled handles and ability to knock down seemingly impossible shots. Alongside the one man ahead of him on this list, he was a major part of the most talented Nets team in history, and it will forever be a frustration for Brooklyn fans that more team success didn't eventuate during this period.

1. Kevin Durant (2019)

Kyrie Irving was a pretty damn good signing, but incredibly he was only the second best free agency pick up for the Nets in 2019, with Kevin Durant having joined in a sign-and-trade. Durant had spent his three seasons in Golden State, winning a championship and with it the Finals MVP in each of his first two seasons with the team. Unfortunately, things ended a little ignominiously from there, with a little in-fighting culminating in a 2019 NBA Finals loss to the Raptors – oh, and an Achilles rupture to Durant along the way. That ruled him out for the following season, but when he expressed a desire to move to Brooklyn the Nets, obviously, were more than happy to sign him up and help him through his rehab. It was a long 2019-20 season with him watching on from the sidelines as the team went 35-37, but late in 2020 he finally returned. He wasted no time reminding everyone that he was one of the best players in the world, averaging 26.9 points on 53.7% shooting and a huge 45% from downtown to go with 7.1 boards and 5.6 assists, and returned to the All-Star team as a result. Unfortunately that Nets team lost in agonizing fashion to the Bucks in the Conference Semis, but that was through no fault of Durant, who put up a ridiculous 49-17-10 in Game 5 and 48-9-6 in their Game 7 OT loss to the Bucks. Over the next two seasons Durant was again an All-Star both years and returned to the All-NBA team, and though there were trade requests followed by trade rescindments and a lack of the on-court success, Durant's three seasons with the team make him unequivocally the best free agent signing in Nets history.