The return of the Thunder to the NBA’s elite could offer a blueprint for rebuilding the Nets

The Brooklyn Nets‘ blowout loss at Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday was a reminder of where the team is and where it ultimately hopes to be. Most importantly, the 127-101 choke at Paicom Center illustrated that there is a reasonable plan to get there.

Three years ago, the Thunder were in the basement of the league. They are now atop the NBA standings at 35-7 with a goal of being champions.

“They trusted the process,” Nets head coach Jordy Fernandez said of Oklahoma City’s success. “You can tell they’re a group that believes in what they’re doing and they believe in what they’re doing.” And that’s because, over a period of time, even if things go one way or the other and there’s trouble, there’s no second guessing. There is only the will to work and be better and compete. And they are clearly in a very good place.

“We have to focus on our own process, and that’s a good thing.” Sustaining success requires understanding how things go and when adversity is most important. And that’s where our guys have been really good, working hard to be successful throughout the process. And we’re just getting started at this point and we know we’re going to be very good soon.”

The Brooklyn process could mirror the Oklahoma City process.

The Thunder’s turnaround gives the Nets hope in the first year of their rebuild

The Thunder traded their best player, Paul George, to the Los Angeles Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a bunch of draft picks in 2019. The rebuilding team won 22 games in 2020-21 and 24 in 2021-22. However, Gilgeous-Alexander showed early signs of stardom, and general manager Sam Presti used a pair of lottery picks to draft Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams in 2022.

Gilgeous-Alexander has raced to the forefront of the MVP conversation ever sincewith Holmgren and Williams developing into elite complementary pieces. Presti found other overlooked talents in Lugence Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. He traded for veteran slugger Alex Caruso and kept his team healthy, allowing him to sign Isaiah Hartenstein to a hefty contract this summer.

The The Nets are in a similar position after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for a supply of picks. While they didn’t get a superstar like Gilgeous-Alexander in the deal, they now lead the NBA with 31 draft picks over the next seven years, including 15 first-round picks. They’re also the only team projected to have significant cap space this summer, with more than $70 million available, depending on roster decisions.

Maintaining that flexibility is CEO Sean Marks’ top priority in the first year of reconstruction.

“We’re going to be strategic in how we continue to build,” the GM said after trading Bridges. “This time we can build on the limited space we’re going to have, and also, it’s a new CBA.” So I think it affects everybody a little bit differently, and I think having the flexibility going into this new CBA, nobody’s quite sure what it’s going to be like. I mean, now you’re looking at free agency and how it affects different teams. That’s why it’s important to keep that flexibility in the season.”

That flexibility is all geared toward finding a player who can lead a championship roster like Gilgeous-Alexander had for Oklahoma City. The Nets will have several ways to do this.

After an offseason trade with the Houston Rockets, they have control over their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks, allowing them to choose from a pool of highly-regarded prospects. With 12 tradable first-round picks and cash in the New York market, they are positioned to trade for an established star if the opportunity arises.

The fallout from the failed Big Three era in Brooklyn is grim. Uncharacteristic losses will be a common occurrence during the second half of this season as the team aims to maximize its draft position. However, the Thunder’s turnaround offers hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel as the Nets turn to a new era of basketball.