1972–73 New York Nets season

The 1972–73 New York Nets season was the sixth season of the franchise and their fifth season using the New York Nets name while out in Long Island after starting their tenure in the American Basketball Association as the New Jersey Americans due to various plans for team names falling out of favor and not working out for the team before their inaugural season began. After previously making it to the 1972 ABA Finals despite having a 44–40 record that season, the Nets would see a 14-game setback in terms of their overall production from the prior season to this season due to Rick Barry's sudden departure from the team and the ABA. Despite the negative production for this season when compared to the previous season they had, the Nets would be the final team in the Eastern Division to make it to the 1973 ABA Playoffs, making it over the struggling Memphis Tams by six games this season. Once there, the Nets would lose in the first round to the Carolina Cougars, who had the best overall record in the ABA this season, 4–1. Following this season's end, the Nets would obtain a major star player to help reverse their fortunes for the rest of their time in the ABA, as they would finally acquire Julius Erving after previously coveting him back in 1971 in a trade that included George Carter from the Virginia Squires for Willie Sojourner for the apparent purpose of short-term financial gains to help the Squires survive as a franchise.

Weirdly enough, as of 2025, there has been no official draft records for the first five rounds of the 1972 ABA draft specifically, while every other round after that point has been properly recorded by basketball historians otherwise. Because of the strange dispersity of draft picks not being properly recorded this year after previously being fully recorded in the previous year's draft and the number of rounds potentially being off for even the players being selected this year, the recorded players selected in this year's draft will be marked with a ? for the pick number in particular (as well as certain round numbers, if necessary) in order to showcase the awkward display currently going on with the 1972 ABA draft year in particular (though what is known is that the New York Nets would forfeit what would have been the official #5 pick of the ABA draft this year (or the official #6 pick had the Memphis Pros not lost their own first round pick at #2 due to them signing Larry Cannon from the Denver Rockets sometime after the 1971 ABA draft) due to Nets acquiring Jim Chones, a junior college basketball player that was originally selected by the Virginia Squires before later being considered a rescinded draft pick by the ABA that year due to the ABA preparing for the ABA-NBA merger that was supposed to be done in 1971 before being delayed by 1976, sometime after the 1971 ABA draft ended, as well as utilized a 17th round pick after not using their 15th and 16th round draft picks). However, if any changes come up to where a proper, official recording of the 1972 ABA draft gets released displaying both pick numbers and round numbers for where certain players got selected, please provide the updated (potential) draft ordering with a source confirming the round and pick numbers included here.

Months after the original ABA draft for this year concluded, the ABA held their first ever dispersal draft on July 13, 1972 after it was found out by the ABA itself that neither "The Floridians" nor the Pittsburgh Condors would be able to continue operations either in their original locations or elsewhere in the U.S.A. (or even Canada in the case of "The Floridians"). Unlike the main draft they did during the months of March and April, this draft would last for only six rounds as a one day deal and would have the nine remaining inaugural ABA teams selecting players that were left over at the time from both "The Floridians" and Pittsburgh Condors franchises (including draft picks from both teams there) and obtain their player rights from there.^[1] Any players from either franchise that wouldn't be selected during this draft would be placed on waivers and enter free agency afterward.^[2] Interestingly, only 42 total players were selected by the nine remaining ABA teams at the time of the dispersal draft, meaning everyone else that was available from both teams was considered a free agent to the ABA not long afterward. Not only that, but the Nets would only use two rounds of the dispersal draft on their end, though they would select one player from each team while doing so. With that said, the following players were either Floridians or Condors players that the Nets acquired during this dispersal draft.

The first selection the Nets made in this draft, Chuck Terry, was not only a draft pick that the Pittsburgh Condors had during the third round of the 1972 ABA draft, but he would also end up joining the Nets years later in both their final season in the ABA and their first season in the NBA after deciding to start his career with the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA instead, later winning the final ABA championship ever held during his time with the Nets. As for their second and final selection that they made during the third round instead of the second round, George Tinsley would end up retiring from play altogether instead of joining up with the New York Nets after being selected by them after previously playing for "The Floridians" in their final season of play.

Eastern Division semifinals vs. Carolina Cougars^[3]

Nets lose series, 4–1

• 1972 draft picks