Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets are living proof that assembling a super-team through trades does not guarantee a dynasty — sometimes it guarantees a spectacular implosion followed by years of rebuilding. The franchise, based in Brooklyn since 2012 after a nomadic existence as the New Jersey Americans and then the New Jersey Nets, mortgaged their future to create a Kevin Durant-James Harden-Kyrie Irving superteam that produced precisely zero championships. The Barclays Center, a 17,732-seat cultural landmark in Brooklyn, now hosts a team that is paying the price for those decisions.

The 2024-25 season saw the Nets finish 26-56, a record that reflects the wreckage of the post-super-team era. Under Jordi Fernandez, Brooklyn is now doing what they should have been doing all along: developing young talent, accumulating draft picks, and building sustainably rather than spectacularly. The rebuild is in its early stages, and patience — a quality the Nets’ ownership has historically lacked — will be required.

Despite the current state of affairs, the Nets’ location in one of the world’s most vibrant cities ensures they remain a significant draw for players and fans alike. The New York market guarantees national television exposure, and Australian NBA fans will see the Nets regularly featured regardless of their record.

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The Nets enter 2025-26 investing in a future that the franchise’s recent past nearly destroyed. Building through the draft under Fernandez is the right approach, even if the wins will take time to materialise. The Barclays Center remains one of the premier venues in the NBA, and Brooklyn’s resources and location ensure that when the rebuild is complete, the Nets will be able to attract the talent needed to compete. The lesson of the super-team era is clear: shortcuts in the NBA rarely lead where you think they do.

VS — Chief sports columnist, australiafootball.com