Nets trip to Dallas offers reminder of what could have been and what lays ahead

DALLAS — The Nets’ game Friday in Dallas could’ve been a reunion with Kyrie Irving, and a stark reminder of their ill-fated Big 3. Instead, it’s a cautionary tale about star hunting, and reinforcement for Brooklyn’s new holistic approach in the apron era: Tank.Draft.

Develop. “Well, I have to say that we’re in a rebuilding year,” Nets team owner Joe Tsai said recently at an “All-In” podcast event.“We spent all of our [2025] picks — we had five first-round draft picks this past summer.

We have one pick in 2026 and we hope to get a good pick, so you can predict what kind of strategy we’ll use for this season.” That strategy is still intact. While a number of teams that traded for high-priced stars are struggling — including Dallas, with Irving still sidelined by a torn ACL — teams are increasingly holding onto their draft picks and building internally. And while the Nets headed to Dallas essentially playing .500 ball with red-hot Michael Porter Jr.since Nov.

5 — the same game in which Cam Thomas got hurt — they’re still full steam ahead on their tank and intent to use cap space to land future assets. That pursuit could start as soon as Monday when the unofficial trade season opens.Last year, the Nets shipped out Dennis Schröder the first day the deal could be consummated, and figure to be active again. Tsai was referring to his other job — as chairman of e-commerce giant Alibaba — when he told a group of young entrepreneurs at Hong Kong University recently that the secret sauce to succeeding was to do it holistically.  Sign up for Inside the Nets by Brian Lewis, exclusively on Sports+.

Please provide a valid email.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! “You would always want to favor organic development over acquisitions,” Tsai said.“Of course, we’ve also made some acquisitions.

So...