The focus of the Brooklyn Nets took a drastic turn over the past few years. They went from title contenders to a bottom lottery team in two seasons. However, many events occurred during this span, which made this one of the most chaotic and unpredictable periods in NBA history.
How The Brooklyn Nets Superteam Fell Apart
The Birth of the Superteam
On June 30, 2019, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant announced they were joining the Nets. While Durant was sidelined for the entire 2019-20 season, Brooklyn made the playoffs but got swept by the Toronto Raptors in the first round. Despite their season’s disappointing conclusion, optimism was high in the borough.
On January 14, 2021, James Harden was traded to the Nets to create one of the scariest trios the NBA has ever seen. The addition of Harden struck fear in the league. Brooklyn had other key players like Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge, and people were comparing this team to the 1996 Bulls and 2017 Warriors.
The Downfall
While the trio seemed nearly unstoppable, injuries limited the big three to only playing 16 total games together. Despite dealing with injuries, the Nets finished the regular season second in the Eastern Conference with a record of 48-24 in 2020-21. They looked unstoppable in the first round of the playoffs, eliminating the Boston Celtics in just five games. The Nets were led by Durant, who averaged 32.6 points per game in the series.
However, the outcome was different when they matched up against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. Despite a valiant effort from the Brooklyn squad, the team dropped to the Bucks in Game 7. Irving and Harden dealt with injuries but fought throughout the series. They were quite literally inches away from knocking off the eventual NBA champions with Durant’s fadeaway jumper to tie the game. The shot looked like it could have been a three-pointer to the naked eye. However, it was deemed a two-point shot. Brooklyn had nothing left in the tank, losing the game in devastating fashion for a 115-111 overtime loss. If Durant was a few inches further back or wore a smaller shoe, the Nets would have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Milwaukee went on to win the championship, and the Nets’ big three split up. The 2021-22 season was a disaster for Brooklyn. The Nets traded Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers, and Irving played 29 games after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccination. Irving sparked controversy in his decision, leading many to question his locker room presence. The team did make it to the playoffs that year but got swept by the Celtics in the first round. Amid the 2022-23 season, the Nets parted ways with Irving and Durant in two blockbuster trades.
A New Leaf
The Nets acquired Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, and Dorian Finney-Smith through their recent trades, but that wasn’t enough to get them through the first round of the 2022-23 playoffs. While the 76ers swept the Nets, Bridges showed flashes of a rising star. He averaged 26.1 points per game in the 27 games he was a Net that season. However, the following season wasn’t the same. Bridges still had a good year, averaging 19.6 points, but Brooklyn decided it wasn’t enough and pulled the trigger on a complete rebuild.
As the franchise is looking to build around their elite scorer Cam Thomas, the future is bright with their great haul in the Bridges trade. The Nets hope to land a young star in the 2025 NBA Draft with a stacked draft class of Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, and Dylan Harper. Adding any top prospects would help Brooklyn rise from being a lottery-pick team.
The 2020-21 Nets turned out to be one of the biggest busts the NBA has ever seen. While this holds, Brooklyn turned that around for what could be a great rebuild process.
