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On a night when the Brooklyn Nets were idle, they were still in the mix for some potentially significant action. The Nets have been dominating headlines with their play under head coach Jacque Vaughn who has gotten the best out of a focused Kyrie Irving, a somewhat healthy Ben Simmons, and most importantly Kevin Durant.
There are always easy to improve, however, and the Nets have already shown they will go to great lengths to give themselves the best shot to get a championship.
What if that meant bringing in LeBron James?
James created waves with his rant on no longer playing competitive basketball simply for the love of the game. Many saw it as a warning to the Los Angeles Lakers to get him more help but other see it as a potential opening the Nets could look to exploit.
King of New York?
“I think there are six non-Lakers teams he would be open to playing for,” tweeted Sam Quinn of CBS Sports listing the Nets along with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, and New York Knicks. I don’t have trades but I think it would have to be one of those six teams.”
Quinn’s tweet came on the heels of the Lakers’ 112-98 loss to the Heat on December 28.
The loss dropped L.A. 14-21 as they sit 13th in the Western Conference and several games out of the Play-In Tournament field – a far cry from James’ aspirations at this point in his career.
“I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships,” James said after that loss. “And I know it takes steps to get there, but once you get there and know how to get there, playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA.”
James and the Lakers bounced back with a big 130-121 win over the Atlanta Hawks but the Nets have been the NBA’s hottest team and look every bit the title contender they were built to be.
Quinn did not present a specific trade but did go deeper into how this scenario could play out.
“Swapping James in for Ben Simmons would probably make Brooklyn the title favorite next season,” says Quinn. “We know James can play with Irving because he’s already done so. He can play with Durant because anybody can…The only thing keeping Brooklyn out of the final tier is the possibility that the Lakers might not be interested in Simmons.”
The Nets could craft a package that includes Seth Curry, Joe Harris, Patty Mills, and Day’Ron Sharpe. But there is a good chance that wouldn’t hold a candle to other offers the Lakers might receive regardless of what kind of return Brooklyn got in a separate Simmons deal to include.
All of this paints a very complex picture of what could be.
A Complex Situation
Previous deals have left Brooklyn without the requisite draft capital it would take to pry James free from L.A. They would also have a tough time getting to James’ salary without gutting their roster if Simmons does not interest the Lakers.
The Nets do have a first-round pick coming from the Philadelphia 76ers from the deal that brought in Simmons and sent out James Harden.
They also avoid the NBA’s restriction on acquiring two max players via trade.
By the time James can be traded — which is not until this offseason after signing a two-year, $97 million contract extension — Russell Westbrook will have either already been traded or hitting free agency. Simmons’ exit in this hypothetical scenario eliminates the same issue from the Nets’ end.
James — who celebrated his 38th birthday with 47 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists against the Hawks — is in no position to waste years.
Anything Is Possible
Adding James would raise the Nets’ ceiling, though losing Simmons would hurt them defensively.
There were rumblings of a deal to send Irving — who won a title with James in 2016 — to L.A. this summer amid his controversy earlier in the year. At the time, the Lakers seemed to be more stable but recent reports suggest they could stand pat with the roster.
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Durant has long been compared to James and a move like this would garner responses that likely pale in comparison to the criticism he is still fighting back against from joining the Warriors in 2017. At the same time, Durant has never been one to let the opinions of others sway his business decisions and this would likely be one he weighs in on heavily.
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