In 2011, Brooks was a late first-round pick at a time when the Nets had been out of the playoffs for four straight years, hadn’t won more than 34 games over that stretch, and were one year removed from the lowly 12-70 season to close out last decade.
It was a time when a trade with the Boston Celtics – which is how the Nets acquired Brooks, the 25th pick of the 2011 draft – didn’t mean mortgaging your future. The Nets won that deal.
Then, the Nets were transitioning from New Jersey to Brooklyn, coming off a 22-44 record in the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season.