Re-draft 2003 NBA Draft

Heading into the 2003 NBA Draft, the then New Jersey Nets were coming off of two consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. The Nets were the crown jewel of the Eastern Conference at the time and had a deep roster.

They unfortunately just weren’t deep enough to defeat either the Los Angeles Lakers or San Antonio Spurs in either of those finals. In 2003, the Nets would draft a bust in Zoran Planinic and not having another young player that could contribute hurt them.

With physical defensive teams in the Eastern Conference, the Nets should have taken another young big man that could have helped them in future playoff series against the Detroit Pistons and other teams.

With the No. 22 pick in this re-draft, it makes sense for the Nets to take center Kendrick Perkins. While Perkins is now the center that collects a paycheck in spare minutes, he was a key player in his time at center for the Boston Celtics and his injury during the 2010 NBA Finals still has some convinced to this day that the Celtics would have won Game 7 had he been able to play.

With Perkins on the Nets, they maybe sustain their momentum and stay competitive longer through the 2000’s.

Next: No. 23 Pick