1996–97 New Jersey Nets season

The 1996–97 New Jersey Nets season was the Nets' 30th season in the National Basketball Association, and 21st season in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Nets received the eighth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Kerry Kittles out of Villanova University. During the off-season, the team signed free agents Robert Pack, Tony Massenburg, Xavier McDaniel, who played overseas in Greece during the previous season, and David Benoit, who missed the entire regular season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Under new head coach John Calipari, the Nets continued to struggle losing their first five games of the regular season, which included two games played overseas against the Orlando Magic in Tokyo, Japan. The team held a 13–33 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the Nets traded Pack along with Shawn Bradley, Khalid Reeves and second-year forward Ed O'Bannon to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Sam Cassell, Jim Jackson, Chris Gatling, Eric Montross and George McCloud, who never played with the Nets and was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Joe Kleine. Gatling only played just three games after the trade due to an ear infection, and was out for the remainder of the season. The Nets finished in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with a 26–56 record.

Kendall Gill averaged 21.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, while Kittles averaged 16.4 points and 1.9 steals per game, led the Nets with 158 three-point field goals, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. In addition, Jayson Williams continued to show improvement, becoming the team's starting power forward averaging 13.4 points, and leading the team with 13.5 rebounds per game, before sitting out the remainder of the regular season with a thumb injury after 41 games, while Massenburg contributed 7.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and McDaniel averaged 5.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game off the bench.

Gill finished tied in fifth place in Most Improved Player voting, while Kittles finished in fifth place in Rookie of the Year voting, and Gatling finished in third place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Following the season, Jackson and Montross were both traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, while Massenburg signed as a free agent with the Boston Celtics, but was then traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies, and Kleine signed with the Chicago Bulls.