Could the Nets risk ruining their culture during this rebuild?
"There is a stark difference between losing and tanking, and the Nets will be doing the latter, having torn the roster down to the studs in an attempt to rebuild it. It's a gamble — and a dangerous one. 'You just exist on a spreadsheet,' one highly regarded agent told The Post," Brian Lewis of the New York Post wrote (h/t to NetsDaily) discussing the Nets' rebuild. While optimizing draft capital is key to rebuilding, there is also a drawback to the organization.
"A lot of these teams that try to bottom out by tanking like Brooklyn is doing, they think there's no consequences,' an agent told the Post," Lewis continued. "You risk eroding the environment you're trying to create. That's what happened in Philadelphia." The agent that Lewis spoke to is communicating what some fans and pundits believe about teams that invest so much in a rebuild to the point that the players on the team don't matter in the end.
With the agent's reference to the Philadelphia 76ers, the worst outcome that can happen to a team's culture is what occurred during Sam Hinkie's days as Philadelphia's general manager. Granted, due to Hinkie's aggressive approach towards prioritizing draft position while not getting too attached to any players on the roster throughout the years, the 76ers were able to draft star-level players in center Joel Embiid and guard Ben Simmons.
Guard D'Angelo Russell was the most recent former player to speak on Brooklyn's culture, something that he appreciated the most out of all of the teams that he has played for during his career. While Marks would be doing the sensible action by keeping the future at the forefront of his mind, there is the possibility of ruining the good will the organization has built up over the years.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Could the Nets risk ruining their culture during this rebuild?
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