The Brooklyn Nets have managed to turn their roster around from a rebuilding team to a potential contender after luring two of the best stars available in free agency in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. General manager Sean Marks detailed the road to get there, which including putting his trust in the right people to make it happen.
“Was there hesitation? From my perspective, I looked at the good, the bad, the ugly and everything else,” Marks told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “At the end of the day, I was extremely excited about the challenge, about the possibility, a little bit of the what if? Could you turn this around? Is there a possibility? How long will it take? There was plenty of naysayers out there but I think the biggest rewards, when you look back, are the stories that people took a risk. Personally, I just bet on people. That's all I've done this whole time here is bet on the right people. Everybody here has ownership of this whole thing. By no means is it one or two guys. It's an army, per se.”
Marks started by making solid draft picks, selecting the likes of Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, while rolling the dice on signings like Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie — all players that played a large part in the team's success.
Ultimately, Marks' willingness to trade their franchise leading scorer in Brook Lopez for a prospect in D'Angelo Russell elevated the team's ceiling, which landed him a playoff spot this past season.
That body of work spoke volumes of the Nets as an organization and was what sealed the commitment of two of the game's biggest stars.
Follow Us
Subscribe