What direction will a new GM take the Nets?
When the Nets franchise moved from New Jersey to the hipster epicenter of Brooklyn in 2012, it was about as drastic a rebrand as one sports franchise could take on.
The move to the brand new Barclays Center had all the pomp and circumstance you'd expect for a grand New York opening, complete with a new Russian oligarch owner and, at the time, Jay-Z's one-fifteenth of one percent stake.
Yet when Mikhail Prokhorov banked his earlier guarantee of a championship on a core of Brook Lopez and Deron Williams, the snickering was audible from East Rutherford. Stewarded by the long-maligned Billy King, the Nets later went all-in on their flawed title aspirations by trading for two veteran Boston Celtics champions - Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
Related: How did Brooklyn get here? Billy King's worst moves as Nets GM
The 2013-14 team that would become the most expensive in NBA history peaked with a five-game loss in the second round of the playoffs.
It's been all downhill from there.
As a result of that aforementioned Celtics trade, whoever inherits the mantle of general manager will in all likelihood watch Boston select in the top three of June's draft at the Nets' expense. It could be a potentially transcendent talent like Ben Simmons.
If that's not enough, the Celtics reserve the right to swap first-rounders with the Nets in 2017. Their second-round pick this year can also be switched down at the Los Angeles Clippers' discretion.
With Joe Johnson's contract mercifully coming off the books this summer, the Nets will get some relief just in time for the salary cap to rise. And given the absence of consequential drafting in the near future, the Nets will again look to free agency or the trade market to rebuild.
One logical pursuit has the Nets reportedly interested in DeMar DeRozan, widely expected to opt out of his contract after this season. Bryan Colangelo, linked to the open GM post Wednesday, drafted the swingman as boss of the Toronto Raptors in 2009.
The report of Colangelo being seriously considered for the general manager position was coupled with rumors of Tom Thibodeau or Brooklyn-bred Mark Jackson as the next head coach. Neither would likely be interested in helming a true rebuilding project, and this fits because that's probably not what the Nets are.
Prokhorov reupped his bravado Monday, telling media, "I'm sure for the next season, we'll be, I hope, (a) championship contender."
Beyond Lopez and Thaddeus Young, who also happen to represent the Nets' two biggest financial commitments, the roster is, well, bad. There's some intriguing young talent in Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Shane Larkin, but it's pretty much open season after that.
"That's why we need a small reset for this year and I hope we'll be back, not as a playoff team, but as a championship contender," Prokhorov said. "This is my only goal."
Even though a larger "reset" would probably behoove the franchise's long-term on-court success more, all current signs point to that not happening. Attendance at Barclays has dropped to near-New Jersey levels this season, and as Prokhorov touched upon, playing in New York City requires meeting certain expectations.
Whether the end result ultimately succeeds or not, a lot of money will be spent. That's nothing new for the Brooklyn Nets.