They’ll soon be playing their games in Brooklyn, and now, the Nets are considering practicing there, too.
Team brass last week toured a 660,000-square-foot site on the Red Hook waterfront as a potential spot to build a new state-of-the-art practice facility, sources said.
The Nets, which are moving into the new Barclays Center this fall, have a lease on their East Rutherford, NJ practice site through 2015, but are getting pressure from local pols to relocate to Brooklyn. The team is mulling over whether its players — many of whom still live in New Jersey — would want to practice in Brooklyn, sources said.
Coney Island seaside developer Joe Sitt owns the Richards Street site in Red Hook that the club is considering.
It was previously eyed as a potential site for a retail mall, a BJ’s Wholesale store and student housing. The area lacks mass transit but is a 10-minute drive to the arena in Prospect Heights.
“A Brooklyn training complex would provide a great ‘assist’ to the arena,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. “The team that plays together should practice together — in their home city of Brooklyn.”
However, Markowitz added, “To use a phrase made famous by NBA superstar Allen Iverson, ‘we talkin’ about practice—not a game.’”
Sitt declined to comment. A Nets spokesperson said the club “will do what’s in the best interest of the team” when questioned about potentially practicing in Brooklyn.
The Knicks practice outside the Big Apple in Tarrytown, NY.