7 Biggest Trades in Brooklyn Nets History, Ranked

The Brooklyn Nets have made many moves to give them a better shot at winning games and improving their championship basketball odds at a sportsbook.

The Nets have never made good on their short NBA championship odds, but they did get to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.

With that said, what are the seven biggest trades in Nets history? Let’s find out.

7 Biggest Brooklyn Nets Trades in Team History

1. George Carter, Kermit Washington, and Cash for Julius Erving and Willie Sojourner

Julius Erving spent three years with the New York Nets following this trade with the Virginia Squires in 1973.

Dr. J won three ABA MVP’s with the Nets and helped the franchise win the ABA championship in 1974 and 1976.

Erving averaged 28.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.3 steals, and 2.1 blocks in his three seasons with the Nets.

2. Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman, and Soumaila Samake for Jason Kidd and Chris Dudley

The New Jersey Nets were coming off a 26-56 season before making this trade with the Phoenix Suns in 2001.

The Nets still didn’t have many expectations following this deal, but Jason Kidd leveraged his playmaking skills and defence to power the Nets to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.

Kidd finished second to Tim Duncan in MVP voting during the 2001-02 season.

3. Alonzo Mourning, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, and Two First-Round Picks for Vince Carter

New Jersey was as many as a dozen games under .500 in January 2005, a month after acquiring Vince Carter from the Toronto Raptors.

However, Vinsanity helped bring the Nets back to relevance and finish with a 42-40 record, averaging 27.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game while earning MVP votes during the 2004-05 season.

Carter’s high-flying dunks and overall offensive display instantly made him a fan favourite in the swamp.

4. Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, Taurean Prince, Aleksandar Vezenkov, Rodions Kurucs, Three First-Round Picks, and Four First-Round Pick Swaps for James Harden and Second-Round Pick

The Nets went all in on this four-team trade with the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Pacers in January 2021, pairing James Harden with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. 

Harden seamlessly blended his scoring and playmaking skills to make the Nets a high-powered offence, but he requested a trade during the next season, landing with the Philadelphia 76ers in February 2022.

5. Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Three First-Round Picks, and Two Pick Swaps for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry, and DJ White

Adding Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce from the Boston Celtics in this 2013 trade was supposed to help make the Nets a championship contender alongside Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson.

However, injuries and age prevented this team from fully coming together, and the picks the Nets gave up ended up becoming Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

6. Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren for Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, Juan Pablo Vaulet, Four First-Round Picks, First-Round Pick Swap, and Two Second-Round Picks

Durant surprisingly chose the Nets over the New York Knicks in 2019 free agency, but he spent just three-plus seasons in Brooklyn before this four-team trade with the Suns, Indiana Pacers, and Milwaukee Bucks.

KD gave everything he had in Brooklyn’s 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals against the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks, erupting for 49 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists in Game 5, and 48 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in Game 7.

7. Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, First-Round Pick, and Two Second-Round Picks

Irving was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks in February 2023, helping them get to the 2024 NBA Finals.

The New Jersey native averaged 27.1 points on 48.9% shooting in 143 games with his childhood favourite team, dazzling with his elite ball-handling skills and acrobatic finishes at the rim.