The Toronto Raptors have had some physical clashes with members of the Atlantic Division over the years, but their rivalry with the Brooklyn Nets has stretched back to their days in the old Brendan Byrne Arena in New Jersey. There is a ton of potential in this rivalry, as the 76ers, Knicks, and Celtics are older franchises with historical rivalries.
The rivalry hasn’t always run hot at times. They aren’t the closest team from a geographical perspective, both franchises are relatively young in NBA terms, and both teams have rarely been good at the same time.
Despite that, Toronto’s recent history of success and the fact Brooklyn is looking like a title contender for the next decade thanks to their trio of superstars, this could be the best time for this rivalry to explode.
As weird as it may seem, plenty of players have bounced back and forth between Toronto and either New Jersey or Brooklyn over the years, albeit with some mixed results. Who are the best players that have suited up for both sides in what could be one of the best emerging rivalries in the game?
VIDEO: Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has a four-letter greeting for the Brooklyn Nets. (NSFW language) http://t.co/nXKJXhvYmS
— theScore (@theScore) April 19, 2014
5 Toronto Raptors who also played for the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets
As a quick note, these rankings will be decided based on how these players contributed to both teams. The total body of work for both rivals was be considered when making this order.
Honorable Mentions
Luis Scola, Jarrett Jack, and Jeremy Lin had long, productive careers, but the Nets and Raptors didn’t milk a ton of quality production out of them.
Ed Davis and Reggie Evans were terrific rebounders, but they barely missed the cut, as did Nets youngster and former Raptors bench piece Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Chris Childs bounced back and forth, but he is remembered more as a Knicks player than he is as a Raptor or Net.
With that in mind, let’s get down to the rankings.