It’s been 53 years since the franchise that would become the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets tipped off as the New Jersey Americans of the ABA. Since then, the team moved to Long Island and won two ABA titles as the New York Nets, joined the NBA, relocated to the Meadowlands and later Newark as the New Jersey Nets, and ultimately moved into New York City to become the Brooklyn Nets.
The franchise has made 21 NBA playoff appearances and twice advanced to the NBA Finals.
Derrick Coleman, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson are a few of the franchise’s most notable players in past decades, and it’s fascinating to look back at the Nets’ year-by-year salary history to see how those players were valued financially in their prime.
Below, we identify the highest-paid player on the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets roster for each season since 1990-91. Also included are team payroll figures and where those totals ranked among other NBA teams.
Source: HoopsHype salary database
Inflation adjustment data provided by U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Each year listed is an 82-game regular season unless otherwise noted.