Brooklyn Nets · Franchise era 6 of 7
The patient rebuild: the Brooklyn Nets story
Franchise era
2016–17—2018–19
The patient rebuild
Brooklyn Nets
The story in one sentence
Without its own premium picks, Brooklyn found undervalued players and built a surprising playoff team.
01
Culture and development recover the franchise
02
D'Angelo Russell, Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie gave the era its recognizable core.
03
Its ending created the conditions for the superstar swing and reset.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2016–17
What came before
The move to Brooklyn brought enormous ambition; the 2013 trade delivered one playoff run but surrendered the draft future.
2019
Eastern Conference First Round: Brooklyn Nets vs Philadelphia 76ers
After 2018–19
What came next
A breathtaking collection of scorers never stayed healthy or stable long enough, leading Brooklyn back into an asset-driven rebuild.
The core