The Brooklyn Nets empire came crashing down at the February NBA trade deadline when they parted ways with their superstar duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. This came just a year after they traded All-Star guard James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers. While some were surprised by Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks’ decision, others thought it was inevitable. Especially just months removed from Durant demanding a trade and Irving being on an expiring contract. Former Nets guard Goran Dragic calls the situation surrounding the Nets “crazy,” which is why he didn’t resign last summer.
“I mean it’s part of the business. I know I’m not young anymore. I could have re-signed with Brooklyn, but I didn’t want to be in that situation, because it was a little bit crazy,” Dragic said to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“I just tried to find a team that’s calmer and to be more stable. I thought that would be with Chicago. “I still love basketball, so that’s why I’m still here.”
Dragic Takes Jab at Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving
This is not the first time Dragic has spoken ill of his time in Brooklyn, but even the most loyal Nets fans should understand why. Kyrie Irving did not play most of the season because he refused to get the covid vaccine. Kevin Durant got injured. James Harden got traded for Ben Simmons. Simmons gets injured and doesn’t play. Brooklyn gets swept in the first round. It was a series of unfortunate events for everyone who was involved.
Following his decision to depart Brooklyn and join the Chicago Bulls last July, Dragic noted the focus of the team was not usually on the team itself, which made things “quite difficult.”
“I played with some stars, like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and I have to admit that it was quite difficult because the focus was not the team, but more the individual performances of the individual players,” Dragic told Slovenian newspaper Vecer, last July.
The former Nets guard also noted that “consistency” played a big part in his decision to leave Brooklyn.
“It was really tough last year, but that’s part of the sport,” Dragic told European website Sportal, according to Brian Lewis’ July 13 story in the New York Post. “I’m happy that I came to the club environment that I wanted, in which I know that I will play, where I can get to consistency again, and that’s what I’m most happy about.”
Spencer Dinwiddie Sounds off Ahead of Game 3
Fortunately for the Nets, they were also able to move on from the Kyrie and KD era of basketball. But still, they have found themselves in the same position they were in during the first round of the playoffs last season. Down 0-2, with their chances of getting a win looking slimmer by the day. As the series shifts to Brooklyn for Game 3 in their bout with their rival Philadelphia 76ers, Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie says one adjustment that needs to be made is for the team to get more transition baskets.
“Yeah, of course. You want to attack early in transition. The best quality shots typically are early in the shot clock, just by the numbers and the points per possession, they tell us all the time. Kick it ahead a lot obviously…get into our plays a little bit quicker,” Dinwiddie told reporters ahead of Game 3 via NetsDaily.
“That’s one of the things that in this series so far we haven’t done a great at and that we kind of drilled in the practice today.”
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Former Nets Player Doubles Down on Team Criticism