It was Kevin Durant’s trade request that officially ended the Nets’ window of contention two years ago. Durant has watched their delayed rebuild from afar and insists it’s heading in the precise direction.
Brooklyn took a 108-84 loss to Durant’s Suns on Wednesday at Barclays Center — where he, Kyrie Irving and James Harden once formed a potent but ill-fated Big 3.
Durant, the last star out the door, left on the 2023 trade deadline.
He got here back with 24 points and eight rebounds Wednesday — together with well-wishing and confidence that the Nets’ latest rebuild will bear fruit.
Brooklyn fans can only hope, after watching their team fall to 14-31.
Nic Claxton was the one full-time starter available — with Cam Johnson, Cam Thomas, D’Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons all hurt.
“Definitely, I need to see this franchise do well,” Durant said beforehand. “What’s it, 12 or 13 picks that they’ve got? Assets, that’s crucial thing with a rebuilding group is the assets. The product on the ground, it could be inconsistent some games. They beat us early within the season and looked great, and then you definately lose to the Clippers by 40 or 50 and which may not look great.
“But if you have a look at the large picture, you’ve got young guys which might be getting experience and playing time. You’re constructing assets and getting future picks. And hopefully you may draft well, put the team together well. So I believe they’re walking in the precise direction. I believe the fans definitely wish to see some great basketball on the ground, and I believe it’s coming for this team.”
The Nets top the NBA in each cap space this summer (an estimated $65 million) and future first-round picks (15, 4 of them this June).
Most of that draft haul is either directly or not directly from the Durant trade — eight unprotected firsts, one other frivolously protected first and a swap.
Durant famously spurned the Knicks to come back to Brooklyn as a package cope with Irving in 2019.
They recruited Harden to form a Big 3 that lost to eventual champ Milwaukee within the 2021 conference semis when each Harden and Irving got hurt.
Irving missed two-thirds of the following season for refusing to stick to the town’s COVID vaccine mandates, and Harden demanded a move on the trade deadline.
After Irving did the identical at the following yr’s deadline, Durant finally asked out.
The Big 3 was over after just 16 appearances together, undone by a bunch of things.
“Injuries, COVID, us just not getting on the court,” Durant said. “Those two were the most important aspects. People would say our attitudes, three guys’ personalities didn’t mesh well. [There were] a whole lot of narratives going around about each individual player — me, James and Kyrie — about our mentality as men. But once we got on the court and once we actually played together, when you saw the culture we were constructing, it was something the fans could get behind.
“That first yr when James came halfway through the season was a few of the most incredible basketball that I’ve seen, I played in. But more so than anything — within the locker room, the bus rides, the plane rides, the hotels — that was the culture we were constructing. A number of people didn’t get to see it, but I wish they may have. It was special.
“The principal thing was that we just didn’t get on the court together and a whole lot of injuries. Injuries to me, James and Kyrie played an element. Together with COVID, that whole thing just [caused] a whole lot of s–t.”
Nic Claxton is one in every of the few Nets still left from those teams, and had a double-double Wednesday (10 points, 12 boards).
Keon Johnson (20 points on 9-for-16 shooting) and Jalen Wilson (15 points) were amongst those aforementioned young players.
But Brooklyn shot just 37.4 percent (34-for-91) from the sector and 19.4 percent from deep (7-for-36) in one in every of those inconsistent outings Durant spoke of.
Because the Suns — led by Devin Booker’s game-high 32 — look to attempt to trade for All-Star Jimmy Butler in a win-now move, the Nets are positioning themselves within the lottery, now in sixth and essentially two games behind second-place Utah.
It was Kevin Durant’s trade request that officially ended the Nets’ window of contention two years ago. Durant has watched their delayed rebuild from afar and insists it’s heading in the precise direction.
Brooklyn took a 108-84 loss to Durant’s Suns on Wednesday at Barclays Center — where he, Kyrie Irving and James Harden once formed a potent but ill-fated Big 3.
Durant, the last star out the door, left on the 2023 trade deadline.
He got here back with 24 points and eight rebounds Wednesday — together with well-wishing and confidence that the Nets’ latest rebuild will bear fruit.
Brooklyn fans can only hope, after watching their team fall to 14-31.
Nic Claxton was the one full-time starter available — with Cam Johnson, Cam Thomas, D’Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons all hurt.
“Definitely, I need to see this franchise do well,” Durant said beforehand. “What’s it, 12 or 13 picks that they’ve got? Assets, that’s crucial thing with a rebuilding group is the assets. The product on the ground, it could be inconsistent some games. They beat us early within the season and looked great, and then you definately lose to the Clippers by 40 or 50 and which may not look great.
“But if you have a look at the large picture, you’ve got young guys which might be getting experience and playing time. You’re constructing assets and getting future picks. And hopefully you may draft well, put the team together well. So I believe they’re walking in the precise direction. I believe the fans definitely wish to see some great basketball on the ground, and I believe it’s coming for this team.”
The Nets top the NBA in each cap space this summer (an estimated $65 million) and future first-round picks (15, 4 of them this June).
Most of that draft haul is either directly or not directly from the Durant trade — eight unprotected firsts, one other frivolously protected first and a swap.
Durant famously spurned the Knicks to come back to Brooklyn as a package cope with Irving in 2019.
They recruited Harden to form a Big 3 that lost to eventual champ Milwaukee within the 2021 conference semis when each Harden and Irving got hurt.
Irving missed two-thirds of the following season for refusing to stick to the town’s COVID vaccine mandates, and Harden demanded a move on the trade deadline.
After Irving did the identical at the following yr’s deadline, Durant finally asked out.
The Big 3 was over after just 16 appearances together, undone by a bunch of things.
“Injuries, COVID, us just not getting on the court,” Durant said. “Those two were the most important aspects. People would say our attitudes, three guys’ personalities didn’t mesh well. [There were] a whole lot of narratives going around about each individual player — me, James and Kyrie — about our mentality as men. But once we got on the court and once we actually played together, when you saw the culture we were constructing, it was something the fans could get behind.
“That first yr when James came halfway through the season was a few of the most incredible basketball that I’ve seen, I played in. But more so than anything — within the locker room, the bus rides, the plane rides, the hotels — that was the culture we were constructing. A number of people didn’t get to see it, but I wish they may have. It was special.
“The principal thing was that we just didn’t get on the court together and a whole lot of injuries. Injuries to me, James and Kyrie played an element. Together with COVID, that whole thing just [caused] a whole lot of s–t.”
Nic Claxton is one in every of the few Nets still left from those teams, and had a double-double Wednesday (10 points, 12 boards).
Keon Johnson (20 points on 9-for-16 shooting) and Jalen Wilson (15 points) were amongst those aforementioned young players.
But Brooklyn shot just 37.4 percent (34-for-91) from the sector and 19.4 percent from deep (7-for-36) in one in every of those inconsistent outings Durant spoke of.
Because the Suns — led by Devin Booker’s game-high 32 — look to attempt to trade for All-Star Jimmy Butler in a win-now move, the Nets are positioning themselves within the lottery, now in sixth and essentially two games behind second-place Utah.
