Apr 20, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets small forward Gerald Wallace (45) during the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls in game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Barclays Center. Brooklyn won106-89. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Over their recent history, the Nets have made a lot of personnel mistakes. While some of these happened due to factors outside of their control, Brooklyn has made a few predictable mistakes in free agency.
In the last couple of years, the Nets have made flashy moves to impress their fans and create excitement in the league. This has backfired on them greatly and has forced their team into a tough spot this offseason.
Not all of those mistakes were entirely predictable and within their control. But plenty were and these three were the biggest and most obvious.
Brooklyn Nets biggest free-agent mistakes: 3. Gerald Wallace
After paying top dollar in a trade to bring the swingman over from Portland, the Nets decided to give Wallace a four-year, $40 million deal. The trade on itself was one of the worst trades in all time with one of the picks they traded ended up becoming Damian Lillard. Wallace, meanwhile, ended up getting his salary dumped in the even worse deal for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
In his first year with the Nets, Wallace wasn’t horrible. He ended up averaging double figures. In his second season with the Nets, he completely fell off the map. He would only play two more seasons in the NBA in total.
The Wallace signing probably looks worse because he was connected to two deals where the Nets gave up what turned out to be incredibly valuable draft picks. But they also threw big money at a player they thought could be a foundational piece and get very little return.