Getty General Manager Sean Marks of the Brooklyn Nets.
The Brooklyn Nets made massive changes to the franchise after trading Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns and Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline. And the Nets seem to be looking toward the future after acquiring young players such as Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson and a boatload of NBA Draft picks in return. But even after making all those moves, the Nets are still predicted to engage in more deals ahead of next season.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report names the Nets one of the teams that could look “completely different” in 2023-24.
“For all of the star power that has passed through Barclays Center in recent seasons, the latest departures of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have left the Nets without cornerstone talents. Nic Claxton looks the part on the defensive end, Ben Simmons played it in a past life, Mikal Bridges sort of resembles it through squinted eyes, and Cam Thomas held the role for three games, but none qualifies as a franchise focal point,” Buckley writes.
“The Nets are a team in transition. It’s tough to tell what the future may hold—though their recent run may have soured them on the super team style—but it doesn’t feel like a stretch to suggest that not a lot of their present players will have a part in it. They have a bunch of tradeable talents, and they should soon decide whether to consolidate it into draft capital or the type of marquee players they are suddenly without.”
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Nets Urged to ‘Wheel-And-Deal’ Back to the Top
Even when the Nets were on a downward spiral, it seemed they were never totally out of the race to a championship because they had massive superstar talent on their roster with Irving and Durant. But now that the star power Brooklyn used to house is gone, the room for error has decreased significantly.
After selling off a massive number of draft picks to the Houston Rockets in the 2021 deal that made James Harden a Net, Brooklyn doesn’t have a lot of upcoming picks to hang their hat on. It’s one of the reasons why Buckley says the Nets should “wheel-and-deal” its way back to the top.
“Teams without a focal point typically enter basketball’s race to the bottom, but tanking isn’t an option in Brooklyn, since the Houston Rockets control the Nets’ draft picks for the foreseeable future. Brooklyn’s best bet is to wheel-and-deal its way to competitiveness,” Buckley added.
“The Nets have two 2023 first-rounders to draft or deal, and then they must make decisions on impending free agents Cameron Johnson (restricted), Seth Curry, and Yuta Watanabe. All the while, the front office should be discussing trades involving…well, just about anyone on the roster. Claxton and Bridges are probably keepers, but they’d likely be needed if the Nets sniff out a blockbuster. Discussions about how much Brooklyn would need to incentivize someone to take Simmons off its hands are worth having.”
Former Nets Coach Sounds off on Kevin Durant
The Nets officially turned a new chapter at this year’s trade deadline when they moved Durant and Irving. But one could argue that the Nets started cleaning house after last season. Following their first-round playoff elimination, the Nets parted ways with several assistant coaches, including Durant’s shooting coach Adam Harrington.
Harrington has been linked with Durant since his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder and has seen the ex-Nets star’s progression throughout his career. In an appearance on “Scoop B Radio” with Brandon Robinson of Bally Sports, Harrington detailed what it is like working with one of the purest scorers the game has ever seen.
“Super-efficient, super detailed, super focused. We are a footwork, balanced, power energy kind of thing, you know? It’s evolved through the years. One thing that we were always about was quality over quantity and it was really important to Kevin for every year as he continued to play in the league that we got more and more efficient. But as a trainer, Kevin makes it super easy,” Harrington said.
“I always joke, Kevin comes into every workout with this wide-eyed wonder look. If you remember going to Disney World for the first time and I have 4 kids and it’s that Oh, my god look with amazement like that: and that’s every workout like that. If you can help him become even 1% better on the basketball court, Kevin’s all about it; but it BETTER directly correlates to him getting better and being a better basketball player, it better be relevant and challenging. So, it’s always been fun.”