10 most dysfunctional NBA franchises

By John Buhler | May 26, 2016

Mar 9, 2016; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) reacts to a call with the referee during the second quarter of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Sleep Train Arena. The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Sacramento Kings 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /

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SAN ANTONIO, TX – OCTOBER 30: Joe Johnson /

Atlantic. Brooklyn Nets. 1. player. 147. . East

Not to be outdone by the inner city rival Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets have made themselves the most dysfunctional team in the NBA entering the 2016-17 NBA season. While the hirings of both Sean Marks as general manager and Kenny Atkinson as head coach are great moves in the right direction, the hole that the Nets dug themselves in these last five years is unlike anything that has happened in the NBA in over 25 years.

When eccentric Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov bought the team and relocated the NBA franchise from East Rutherford to Brooklyn, New York, he promised Nets fans that he would fund a championship basketball team within five years. This tied former general manager Billy King’s hands behind his back to appease absent Prokhorov’s wishes.

Bad trade after bad trade ruined this team’s long-term future, which is now the present, for a team that only had an Eastern Conference Semifinals ceiling at best. Getting point guard Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz has allowed Quin Snyder’s team to become an on-the-rise contender in the West.

The Joe Johnson albatross of a contract was the ultimate Mulligan for the Atlanta Hawks. Johnson’s contract was so massive that it wasn’t tradable. It also first brought to light how valuable a rights to a pick swap can be in a trade. Atlanta moved up from No. 29 to No. 15 in the 2015 NBA Draft as a result of the Joe Johnson deal.

To make Brooklyn’s situation even worse was the deal King made with Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge in acquiring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry. Boston was able to land Brooklyn’s No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft despite the Celtics winning 48 games and getting the No. 5 seed in the 2016 Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Brooklyn still has a few assets it can move like center Brook Lopez, power forward Thaddeus Young, and maybe even small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson if his health is good as a second year player. The Nets hit rock bottom in 2015-16 and are on the upswing from their Marianas Trench of a nadir. However, their reckless abandon behavior from 2011 to 2015 leaves them as the most dysfunctional NBA franchise at this time.

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