Per multiple media reports from earlier today, the first of which (to my knowledge) were from the New York Post‘s Tim Bontemps, the Brooklyn Nets will have their own D-League team for next season, which will first play at the Barclays Center and then move to Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum the year after.
This news comes on the heels of Nets majority owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, buying a controlling share in the Coliseum, which is the former home of the NHL’s New York Islanders, who now play at Barclays. The Nets have not had a D-League affiliate team since the 2013-14 season, when they had a hybrid affiliation with the Springfield Armor (now the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons’ affiliate). NetsDaily reports that the team will be called, unsurprisingly, the Long Island Nets.
The Nets’ decision to jump back into the D-League in a full and committed way shows that the team is ready to once again reap the benefits of controlling its own affiliate’s basketball operations, which will help with player development and allow for rookies and other fringe players to remain under team supervision without taking up a roster space. Also, it furthers the connection between the Nets and Long Island, a Knicks-centric geographic area the team has mostly failed to convince to buy into the Nets.
Also, with the close proximity between Brooklyn and the Coliseum, the partnership leaves the option open for the team to quickly recall and demote players to and from the D-League team when injuries and other situations call for rapid player movement.
An official announcement regarding the team’s name and potential additional developments will be made at Barclays before the Nets-Lakers game tomorrow.
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