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On April 25, the Brooklyn Nets could be suiting up for their final game of the 2021-22 season. Facing an 0-3 deficit to a well-prepared Boston Celtics squad, Brooklyn is in a must-win situation. If they do not find a way to emerge victorious, their whirlwind of a season, will officially be over. Ahead of their must-win Game 4, Nets head coach Steve Nash sent a strong message to his squad.
“The bottom line is, sticking to our big rocks and playing how we’ve set out to play,” Nash told reporters before Game 4 via Matt Brooks of NetsDaily. “They’re not looking for you to save them with your words, they’re looking for the ball to go up and start playing.”
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Nets ‘Exasperated’ by Ben Simmons Drama
One key player that the Nets will be missing in Game 4 is their recently acquired All-Star forward Ben Simmons. Simmons, was acquired by the Nets from the 76ers on February 10th. However he has yet to play a game for Brooklyn due to a herniated disc in his back. Multiple reports said that the plan was for Simmons to make his debut in Game 4, but on April 24, he suffered a setback that will hold him out of the Nets’ must-win game. According to ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, Simmons’ unavailability has perturbed some people within the Nets’ organization.
“Your immediate reaction is he just doesn’t want to play in a series that’s 3-0. I’ll be honest with you — that was my first reaction,” Windhorst said during the April 25 taping of “Get Up!” per Brian Lewis of the “New York Post”.
“When I talked to people involved, they were exasperated. They said he woke up; his back hurt and he wasn’t able to play. There wasn’t much more to say. They’re pretty much waving the white flag on this one. It’s extraordinarily disappointing.”
Nets Likely To Use Sixers Draft Picks as Trade Assets
Simmons is not likely to play a game for the Nets this year, but their mid-season trade was not a complete waste. Although Simmons and All-Star James Harden were the centerpieces of the trade, the Nets received several supplemental assets in addition to acquiring the 3-time All-Star. Brooklyn still has sharpshooter Seth Curry locked in for next season, and acquired multiple NBA draft picks from Philadelphia. However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says that those picks will likely be used as trade assets to acquire more seasoned players for Brooklyn’s roster.
“Among the Nets trade assets from the Philadelphia trade with James Harden … here’s a decision they have to make by June 1 … Do they keep Philly’s 2022 first-round pick, use it this year — it’s 23rd overall — or they can kick it to 2023. They got to make that decision by June 1,” Wojnarowski said per NetsDaily.
“For the Nets, the chance to be able to use that in trades — they’ve got Philly’s 2022 pick and 2027 pick — Ultimately, they may never use a player from those Draft picks. They’re going to be trade assets.”
As it stands now, the chances of fans seeing Simmons in a Nets jersey this season are very slim. It will be interesting to see what this team will look like once they finally take the floor fully-staffed, next season.
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