Sean Marks’ 2016 Message Still Resonates as Nets' Rebuild Approaches Year Two

When Sean Marks became the general manager of a 21-win Brooklyn Nets squad back in 2016, he knew the road ahead would take time. Left without a star and stuck with countless veterans, Marks embraced the idea that rebuilding this team wouldn't happen quickly.

He even expressed this fact to then-owner Mikhail Prokhorov when he interviewed for the gig.

"I was clear in our meeting," Marks said via ESPN's Jackie MacMullan back in 2017. "I told them, 'If you are looking for a quick fix or similar to what you did before, I'm the wrong guy.'"

Marks was referencing Brooklyn's attempt to match the Miami Heat's superteam, assembling a squad including Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett—which ultimately proved to be a massive failure.

How Marks is resurrecting his original plan

Three years after Marks was hired,he hit his first home run. By bringing in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the summer of 2019, the Nets were again ready to contend.

But that pairing didn't work out. Brooklyn never made it past the second round of the postseason, thus another rebuild was on its way.

Nine years after Marks pitched his long-term approach, he's staying disciplined—revisiting the slow but steady rebuild despite having the assets available to do what he "did before."

Remember, the Nets were reportedly targeting Giannis Antetokounmpo for months before the summer began. They had—at the time—four first-round picks and a boatload of cap space. Plus, with players like Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton widely considered to be available for trade, Brooklyn really could've turned things around in one summer.

But it wouldn't have been smart to rush things.

Then came the record-setting draft

The Nets' first move of the offseason was to join a three-team deal that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks, giving the organization five first-rounders. No team had ever used more than four, and while Brooklyn already owned one lottery pick, it reportedly eyed another.

However, the Nets stayed pat. They took Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf—adding five incoming rookies to an already young core. While many analysts disagreed with Brooklyn's decisions on draft night because it opted for raw prospects with untapped potential, the selections reflect Marks' intentions.

Unlike last season—when the Nets first committed to a rebuild by trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks—the franchise had actual young talent coming in that was hand-picked from an impressive rookie class. In the summer of 2024, Brooklyn was forced to take swings on hidden gems and hope for positive results.

Are the rookies expected to make an instant impact? Absolutely not. They never were.

Marks knows this isn't a race—it's a marathon. And if the final results are anything reminiscent of the conclusion of Marks' first rebuild, the Nets will at least be set up for some sort of success before the end of the decade.