Brooklyn Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov Looking to Sell

After seven up and down seasons, Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is looking to sell his majority stake in the franchise.

When the Brooklyn Nets were sold to Russian Tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov in May 2010, he knew he had a major task on his hands.

Investing in the worst team in the NBA, changing its location to Brooklyn, New York from East Rutherford, New Jersey, winning over a city that still had animosity for losing its beloved Dodgers, and revitalizing a franchise that was once a perennial playoff contender is a rough checklist that many would shy away from.

But Prokhorov took the challenge head on. Although his promise to bring an NBA title to Brooklyn didn’t come to fruition within the five-year span he was looking for, there are plenty of highs to go along with the many lows.

There was the building of a state of the art arena and practice facility, as well as a complete revamping of Brooklyn that showed the positivity of the Nets effect on a city that needed an economic boost and a jolt of gentrification to help keep up with the prospering neighboring cities of Manhattan and Queens.

Off the court, it is undeniable how much positivity Prokhorov and the Brooklyn Nets ownership group has had in the city. Unfortunately, the same positivity has not translated onto the hardwood.

The effort to build a contender was evident when the Brooklyn Nets completed a blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics on draft night in 2013. Both teams agreed to a deal that shipped Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry to Brooklyn in exchange for the Nets first round picks in 2014, 2016, and 2018.

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This gutsy move, although great in theory, was clearly not well thought out as this ultimately led to the downfall of the franchise.

Taking on the large contracts, age, and wear and tear of Garnett, Pierce, and Terry while trading away their future caused the ultimate demise of the franchise. There was no chance a 37-year-old Garnett and 36-year-old Pierce and Terry would be able to contend with LeBron James who, in the middle of his prime, just led the Miami Heat to back-to-back NBA Titles.

To add insult to injury, after failing to get past the Miami Heat in the 2014 playoffs, the inexperienced basketball side of Prokhorov and his staff was magnified when they gave away head coach Jason Kidd for two meaningless second round picks from the Milwaukee Bucks.

Ownership in all major sports is obviously a business. But if your heart is truly not in it, then the leagues, not just the NBA, have to do a better job of getting the right people to lead these franchises in the right direction.

Maybe if the Nets and Celtics deal never went through we’d be talking about the Nets in a better light but unfortunately, that is not the case.

Next: The Brooklyn Nets Continuing Fallout of 2013 Trade

Whoever takes over the Brooklyn Nets after Mikhail Prokhorov completes the sale will have a larger task of getting talent on the court to fill the seats and, more importantly, compete. At least Nets fans can thank Prokhorov for helping revitalize Brooklyn. Hopefully, that championship five-year plan gets completed by the next owner.

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