Brooklyn blows it up: Why Nets traded away their superstars

What went wrong?

During the 2019 offseason, the Nets made a big splash, completing a sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors to bring in Durant on a four-year, $164 million contract. At the same time, Irving left what ended up being an odd fit in Boston to also come to Brooklyn on a four-year, $136.5 million deal. With LeBron James leaving the East for the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn immediately became one of the favorites in the conference.

However, Durant sat out the entire 2019-20 season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals with the Warriors, meaning the Nets would have to wait to see their superstar tandem until the following season.

The 2020-21 campaign will be one Nets fans always look back on and say “what if?” Despite a slow start, the team rallied to finish 48-24, and traded for another superstar in James Harden along the way to create a three-headed monster that seemed like it would be unstoppable. However, Harden got injured down the stretch, and Irving injured his ankle in the team’s second-round playoff series with the Bucks. They would fall in Game 7 at home to Milwaukee by the closest of margins, watching from home as the Bucks went on to win the NBA Finals.

ARE YOU SERIOUS KD? pic.twitter.com/VY0bHXFpLZ

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 20, 2021

The team looked to run it back in 2021-22, but Irving created drama right off the bat by refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, meaning he could not play in the Nets’ home games. He sat out the early part of the season before eventually returning to play in road games. Harden grew frustrated and wanted to be traded, and the Nets eventually granted his wish, dealing him to the 76ers.

The Harden trade was really the first domino to fall, as the Nets would not be able to recapture their form down the stretch, being swept by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. 

Then, the offseason drama began, as the Nets refused to commit to Irving with a contract extension, while Durant, just a year removed from signing an extension himself, sought a one-way ticket out of town. 

The Nets stood pat, but with early struggles this season, the team fired head coach Steve Nash in November. It appeared they had turned things around under interim coach Jacque Vaughn, but it was clear there were still issues internally, and it has led to where the Nets are at now.