How the Brooklyn Nets Rebounded from the Worst Trade in NBA History and Are Now Title Contenders
The Rebuild:
June 27, 2013 — The Nets had traded for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and D.J. White, a move that many believed pushed them into the upper echelon of the NBA. In the trade, they gave up Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans, and first-round picks in 2014, 2016, 2017 (via the right to swap picks) and 2018. At the time, the picks were not considered to be valuable, given that the Nets were considered to be positioned for contention. The 2013–2014 Nets struggled out of the gate, but they still were considered a serious threat come playoff time. They even swept their regular season with the defending champion Miami Heat.
After losing to the Heat 4–1 in the second round, Paul Pierce left the team, and the team stumbled to a 38–44 record and lost in the first round to the Atlanta Hawks. By the 2015–2016 season, they had completely bottomed out, losing 61 games and becoming one of the worst teams in the league.
The team on the other side of the trade, the Boston Celtics, were thriving by this time, becoming an upstart playoff team led by Isaiah Thomas. To add to their success in the playoffs, they were in position to compete in the playoffs, while also receiving top prospects from the Nets until 2018.
After 2018, the trade resulted in the Celtics ultimately receiving James Young in 2014, Jaylen Brown in 2016, Jayson Tatum in 2017, and the 8th pick in 2018, which was part of the trade for Kyrie Irving (it ultimately became Collin Sexton).
Currently, the Nets have shockingly positioned themselves to contend before the Celtics, which seemed impossible, because the Nets were neither considered to be a top free agent destination, and they did not own their own first round pick.
Let’s review the moves made by the Nets to overhaul their roster, which ultimately allowed them to be in position to sign Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
The first move made by the Nets, which ultimately set them up for future success, was hiring Sean Marks to run the front office. Marks was given the freedom to make any decision he felt was necessary to rebuild the Nets.
His first move was trading for the 20th pick in the 2016 Draft, giving up Thaddeus Young. He drafted Caris LeVert, a young, explosive guard who remains on the roster as the most promising young talent on the team, now that D’Angelo Russell is off the roster.
He also acquired Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie off of the fringes of NBA rosters, and in Brooklyn, they had many opportunities to grow as players.
The Nets traded Bojan Bogdanović to the Wizards in exchange for a first round pick which became Jarrett Allen, the team’s starting center from last season.
The move that ultimately pushed Brooklyn from being an interesting, young team to a competitive, playoff team was the acquisition of D’Angelo Russell. Russell was traded to compensate the Nets for taking on the $64 million salary of Timofey Mozgov. It was clear that the Lakers gave up on him and wanted to replace him with another point guard from the draft. In Brooklyn, he refined his game, becoming an All-Star and leading the Nets to the sixth seed in the East.
Through all of these moves, there are a few common themes: Marks and the Nets targeted players that were being held back on their current teams, allowing the Nets to receive them for little cost, and also the Nets were willing to take on significant salaries (bad contracts) in exchange for other assets.
None of this would be possible without a coach willing to play players through their mistakes, and the Nets found their man: Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson is coach known for a modern, pace and space offense, which explains why the Nets focused heavily on drafting high potential guards. He is also a coach who is heavily invested in player development, similar to Brett Brown of the 76ers during “The Process.” Under Atkinson, many players revitalized their careers, having new opportunities to shine.
Perhaps the most under-appreciated aspect of the Nets’ rebuild was their ability to create a winning culture. They created a roster with a balance of young players and veterans that helped create a winning culture, such as Jared Dudley and Ed Davis. It speaks to the Nets’ organization that their players never complained about a lack of playing time, and always seemed to put the team’s success ahead of their own interests. The value of their culture cannot be understated: just look at their rivals in Madison Square Garden.
The goal of the Nets, as with any organization, was never to just become an average playoff team. Instead, seemingly overnight, they became a hot free agent destination, entering the running for signing superstars.
Though the Nets struck out on many free agents, particularly restricted free agents, they never lost confidence that a star player would eventually come to Brooklyn.
All of the moves they made directly contrasted them to the Knicks, with the Nets becoming more appealing because they were a well-run, professional, and on-the-rise team that was only a short drive away from the allure of New York City.
Their moves paid off, with the Nets arguably winning this offseason with “a clean sweep” by winning both the Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant sweepstakes, as well as getting DeAndre Jordan at a good price ($40 million/4 years). They ended all hopes of a Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant tandem in the Garden, the supposed mecca of basketball.
The On-Court Fit of Durant and Irving with the Nets:
June 30, 2019 — While Durant will be coming off a torn achilles, his game should age relatively well, given his skillset. He teams up with Irving, a dynamic point guard, to create one of the most talented duos in NBA history.
The Nets, even before signing the two stars in free agency, already had a young core that made the playoffs. Their roster includes talented players such Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Joe Harris, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Taurean Prince. Their depth cannot be discounted, given the need for Durant to slowly work his way back into playing shape after his injury.
They look to be a competitive team this upcoming season, and a finals contender for the remainder of Irving and Durant’s contracts, once KD returns from injury.
When analyzing how Durant fits with Kyrie Irving, let’s first review how he fit in with Steph Curry, another elite point guard. Admittedly, Irving and Curry are both distinctly different players.
The Warriors would often get Durant the ball in the mid-post, where he would go to work on his man, using an array of spins and fadeaways to score.
Other times, through the Warriors pristine ball and player movement, he would get catches on the wing, where he had a choice of options: drive, catch and shoot for three, pull-up for a midrange shot, or pass the ball to another teammate. His versatility as an offensive option is what pushed the Warriors from being an amazing offensive team to an unguardable offensive team.
On the Warriors, Durant did not need many complicated sets run for him, with his game being so versatile. He could score in the flow of an offense, playing through the Warriors system, or he could take over, which was customary of him late in games, when the pace slows down, and defenses tighten up.
Though it is easy to forget, Durant also played with another all-time great point guard in Russell Westbrook. Their time together was one of the most exciting, yet disappointing stretches in recent NBA history. With the Thunder, he and Westbrook never truly complemented each other, usually playing a sort of “my turn, your turn” offense that was predicated on isolations and little off-ball movement. Durant would be wise to make sure this does not happen again, because Irving and Durant are too talented to not try and complement each other’s games.
Like Durant, Irving is also an incredible offensive player, being arguably the most skilled point guard ever. He also scores at all three levels: in the paint, the midrange, and from behind the arc. He operates well without the ball, functioning well as a cutter, where he can utilize his finishing ability, and as a shooter coming off screens, where he showcases his accuracy from behind the arc.
His game somewhat overlaps Durant’s, as he scores in similar ways, just against smaller defenders. He seeks out mismatches, either posting up smaller guards or driving by bigger players. While he shoots well from behind the arc, he, like Durant, shoots a high volume of midrange shots. While he and Durant both run similar actions on offense, this should not be an issue, due to their versatility on offense.
One play that may un-guardable for many teams is the possibility of an Irving-Durant pick and roll. Switch it, and Durant will either post up the smaller defender, or Irving will drive by his bigger defender. Go under, and Irving, a 40% three point shooter is open. Go over, and now either Irving has a driving lane, or Durant has a good look at a jumpshot. Of note, Irving can function as a screener, something we saw time and again in Cleveland, as they sought out Stephen Curry on defense. Irving as a screener has added value due to the double threat of him popping open for an open jumpshot or driving to the rim for an easy layup.
This Brooklyn team may become unguardable, especially given the depth of the team. Spencer Dinwiddie, one of the top bench players in the league, can alleviate ball handling responsibility from Irving and Durant, allowing them to function off the ball. In Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan, the Nets now have two of the best athletic, “rim running” type of center. Caris LeVert was quickly rising as one of the best young players in the league before his injury and will look to continue his ascent. The Nets also have quality role players in Taurean Prince and Joe Harris, the latter of whom was one of the best three point shooters in the league.
The only potential conflict or point of contention on this team is closing games. Even last season, the Nets toggled with lineups, with D’Angelo Russell, Caris LeVert, and Spencer Dinwiddie all having turns closing games. With KD and Irving now in the mix, their chances of isolating with the game on the line are now seemingly over. Between Irving and Durant, there may be an issue over who takes the last shot. Irving is infamous for being a “closer” who its clutch shots with games on the line, including the dagger in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals. Durant, on the other hand, is also an accomplished clutch scorer, with multiple clutch moments of his own in the NBA Finals.
With Irving entering his prime and Durant returning from a devastating injury, will Irving accept ceding late game responsibilities to Durant? Irving has complained in the past about not always being “the man” and being in the shadow of others. Now he is with another top player, and only time will tell if he will respond differently than he did during his time in Cleveland.
The Nets have built potentially one of the most dynamic teams in NBA history, with two superstars in their prime who have unprecedented skill. They look to be Finals contenders for the next few years and have successfully recovered from being the loser of the most lopsided traded ever.
Will we see a Lakers vs. Nets Finals when KD returns?
