Top 5 NBA players who have played for both the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks

The Battle of New York will be reignited as the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks look to have a memorable 2021-22 NBA season. In search of championship success, the Nets and Knicks have used the services of the same players on several occasions, albeit not at the same time.

Both teams have featured in 212 head-to-head games. The Brooklyn Nets look the better team, and are on course to win their first-ever NBA title. But the New York Knicks' resurgence is worth keeping an eye on, as they could be one of the top teams out of the Eastern Conference. While they are not championship favorites yet, they are capable of shaking things up in the East.

The list of players that have featured for both franchises is not a very long one. Nonetheless, the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets have both fielded incredible players in their history.

On that note, here are five NBA players that have played for both the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks.

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#5 Wilson Chandler

Wilson Chandler (#21) of the Brooklyn Nets played for the New York Knicks earlier in his career.

The New York Knicks selected Wilson Chandler with the 23rd overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, He played there for three and a half years. After being moved around the league, he played his final season for the Brooklyn Nets before leaving the NBA for good in 2020.

Chandler was regarded as one of the best shot-blocking wings in his early years. He was also versatile enough to play either all positions from 2 to 4. However, his run with the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets was not the most productive as neither team made the NBA playoffs with him on their roster.

#4 Buck Williams

Buck Williams played for the Nets when they were known as the New Jersey Nets. He was selected by the Nets with the third overall pick in the 1981 NBA draft.

While he started his career with the Nets, he played his last two seasons with the New York Knicks. At that time, he was a rotation player, but he still made a significant impact on the team, helping them to two playoff appearances.

Most of his career highlights came during his run with the Nets. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1982, and made three All-Star appearances before leaving the franchise in 1989.

#3 Wayne Ellington

Wayne Ellington, former New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets player

Wayne Ellington has played for the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks for short spells in his 12-year career. He has been in the NBA since 2009 after he was selected with the 29th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2009 NBA draft. He is currently one of the veteran players acquired by the LA Lakers in the 2021 offseason.

Ellington's first run with one of the New York heavyweights was with the Brooklyn Nets in the 2015-16 season. He featured in 76 games for the team in what was one of the worst seasons of the Nets since they moved to Brooklyn. They ended the season ranked 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 21-61 run.

After moving around the league for a while, the sharpshooter ended up with the New York Knicks for the 2019-20 season. He featured in only 36 games due to injuries, and averaged 5.1 points in one of his worst shooting campaigns - 35% from beyond the arc. At the end of the season, he was waived by the Knicks.

#2 Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin was undrafted in the 2010 NBA draft. He played for the Golden State Warriors in the 2010-11 season as a rotation player, making 29 appearances. After getting waived by the Warriors and the Houston Rockets, he was picked up by the New York Knicks.

Lin's run with the New York Knicks was a lucky one, but the Taiwanese-American took full advantage of that. Injuries ravaged the Knicks' backcourt, and he was chosen to provide depth in the position.

The New York Knicks were on a poor run, losing 11 of 13 games, but Mike D'Antoni's choice to play Lin paid dividends. He led the Knicks' resurgence that season, helping them to a seven-game winning streak. That season saw the birth of the moniker, Linsanity.

Five seasons later, he joined the Brooklyn Nets on a three-year $36 million deal. It was his second best-scoring campaign. He was set to go on another run before he hurt his knee, missing the remainder of the 2017-18 season after playing just one game.

Lin had somewhat of a successful season away from the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. Although he was not a significant contributor, he was on the 2018-19 Toronto Raptors team that won the NBA title.

#1 DeAndre Jordan

Malcolm Brogdon (#7) of the Indiana Pacers passes the ball around DeAndre Jordan (#6) of the Brooklyn Nets

The LA Lakers have acquired the service of DeAndre Jordan for the 2021-22 NBA season. But before this move, the big man plied his trade with the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets.

Jordan spent a really short time with the New York Knicks following his trade to the franchise in January 2019. He played only 19 games for the Knicks, averaging 10.9 points.

The New York Knicks were interested in retaining Jordan's services in free agency. But he chose to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, where he played alongside superstars like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. He wasn't a high scorer with the Nets, but he was a dominant paint presence that could grab key rebounds.

Jordan will play the 2021-22 NBA season with LA Lakers after agreeing to a one-year minimum veteran deal during free agency. The New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets will be formidable adversaries for the Lakers. So it will be interesting to see how he plays against them in the coming season.