Nets owner drops big hint about franchise’s direction

May 9, 2019; New York City, NY, USA; Taiwanese businessman Joe Tsai (left) looks on during the second half of the preseason WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the China National Team at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai suggested in new remarks that the organization might be pivoting toward something resembling a full-scale rebuild.

Speaking at the J.P. Morgan Global China Summit in Shanghai on Friday, Tsai suggested he wanted to build a long-term winning culture within the Nets organization. The owner sounded ready and willing to endure some tough years in the short-term to make it happen, too.

“I want to build a winning mentality and culture that’s sustainable. Those two are very different things. If you just want to be win now you could ruin your future by trading away all of your assets but I think want I want to do with the Brooklyn Nets is take a

(Continued) pic.twitter.com/KgWtQIaYJq

— NetsPress (@NetsPressIG) May 24, 2024

“The Brooklyn Nets is at a crossroads, in a way. I think we didn’t do as well as we expected last season. We didn’t make the playoffs,” Tsai said. “But we hope to revamp the team and make sure that we can compete in the long run. I think there’s a difference, when people ask owners, ‘What do you want to do with a basketball team?’ There’s a difference between ‘I want to win’ versus ‘I want to build a winning mentality and culture that’s sustainable.’ Those two are very different things.

“If you want to be win-now, you could ruin your future by trading away all your assets. I think what I want to do with the Brooklyn Nets is to take a longer-term approach and build a sustainable winning culture.”

One could argue that the Nets already did ruin their future by trading away assets. The Kevin Durant-led super-team failed to bring home an NBA title and fell apart spectacularly a little more than a year ago. The Nets did get Mikal Bridges back as part of the Durant trade, but beyond that, they do not really have many long-term assets they can lean on.

For now, the Nets are sticking with their current organizational leadership. However, it sounds like they will be overseeing a rebuild instead of trying to make the playoffs, at least for now.