Getty Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets.
Even with everything that occurred with Kyrie Irving’s impending free agency and Kevin Durant’s bombshell trade request during the offseason, nobody could have imagined that this season would have started as disastrous as it has for the Brooklyn Nets. They are tied with the Miami Heat for 12th place in the Eastern Conference after being a play-in team last season. In addition, Ben Simmons has looked like a shell of his old self and does not look ready to be a contributing player on a playoff contender.
The latest Nets news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Nets newsletter here!
Nets Urged To Cut Their Losses on Kyrie Irving
But surprisingly, the issues on the court have been the least of Brooklyn’s worries so far this season. What has transpired off the court has been the real cause for concern in their locker room. For those who may be tardy to the party, last month, Nets star Kyrie Irving tweeted the link to the 2018 film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which features anti-Semitic tropes. His decision to tweet the link received heavy backlash from the Jewish community.
Irving dragged his feet on issuing a direct apology and condemning the film. As a result, he has been suspended by the organization for a minimum of five games. It is just the latest saga for the Nets in the Kyrie experience. With him scheduled to become a free agent in July and the likelihood of him returning looking increasingly slim, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report says the Nets should just cut their losses with Irving and trade him before it is too late.
“The Nets should focus on trading Kyrie Irving before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. There should be no intention to bring back the veteran guard following a disastrous three-plus seasons in Brooklyn, and teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat could still covet his services,” Swartz writes.
“With Kevin Durant still playing at an MVP level and Simmons’ stock at an all-time low, the Nets need to hang on to both while finding a new home for Irving.”
Tanking the Season Does the Nets No Good
Some believe the Nets should take it a step further and clean house, tearing everything down to its original foundation. But doing that serves them no purpose. Tanking the season away would only help the Houston Rockets, who own Brooklyn’s first-round pick this year via the blockbuster trade they made to acquire James Harden in 2021.
Simmons and Durant are the only saving grace for the Nets at this point, as they are the only noteworthy players who are tied down to the franchise long-term. Brooklyn’s best bet is to use the two All-Star forwards as a foundation and build around them for the future.
“Brooklyn has started just 3-6, head coach Steve Nash is gone after eight games and Kyrie Irving will be suspended for at least three more games for promoting an antisemitic film on his social media accounts and then failing to apologize for several days. Ben Simmons has looked bad in his return to the court from back surgery as well,” Swartz continued.
“While the temptation to tear everything down and start over is there, the Nets don’t control any of their first-round picks until 2028. Tanking this season would only benefit the Houston Rockets, who get the right to swap 2023 first-rounders if they’d like.”
The Nets have some tough decisions to make in the coming months. It will be interesting to see which direction they go in.