By the time the 2023 NBA trade deadline had passed on Thursday, February 9, the Brooklyn Nets had completely dismantled what was once their big three. Trading away both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving gave the Nets some solid players and a ton of future draft capital to rebuild. So what happens now after the Nets trade Durant and Irving?
The End of the Nets Big 3
Once upon a time, Brooklyn thought they had the keys to their future in their big three: James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant. Their hopes never materialized. The group only played a total of 16 games together before the situation deteriorated.
Last season, Harden decided he wanted to be traded. The reason seemingly being that with Irving not playing as he was unvaccinated and Durant injured hopes for a championship that season were over. So, Harden jumped ship to Philadelphia.
Irving had a lot of ups and downs in Brooklyn and finally demanded a trade from the team a week before the deadline. The Nets traded Irving to Dallas to play with the Mavs.
Durant asked for a trade during the off season, but the situation settled and Durant said he was content to play for the Nets this season. Obviously, he wasn’t content to stay through a rebuild and demanded a trade before the deadline as well. As the deadline approached, the Nets traded Durant away to the Phoenix Suns.
The Brooklyn Nets Rebuild
The reality is still this – the Nets love NYC. So, in dealing away three top players, the Nets have gained some new talent and amassed draft capital. Through these trades the Nets have gained:
- Ben Simmons– Point guard, Small forward
- Seth Curry– Point guard, Shooting guard
- Spencer Dinwiddie– Point guard, Shooting guard
- Dorian Finney-Smith– Small forward, Power forward
- Mikal Bridges– Small forward, Shooting guard
- Cam Johnson– Power forward, Small forward
Additionally, the Brooklyn Nets received a plethora of draft picks, including:
- First Round 2023 pick
- First Round 2025 pick
- First Round 2027 pick, plus a First Round 2027 top-8-protected pick
- Second Round 2027 pick
- First Round 2028 pick swap with Phoenix
- 2 First Round 2029 picks
- Second Round 2029 pick
How the Brooklyn Nets Keep Winning
The Brooklyn Nets are currently fifth in the Eastern Conference and still have a winning record. There are two big reasons for this.
One thing that keeps them on the winning side of things is the change they made in coaching at the beginning of the season when the Nets fired head coach Steve Nash and promoted Jacques Vaughn. The players play for Vaughn, who just signed a new contract extension with the Nets through 2026-27, and he keeps the team inspired and driven even in the face of many changes and a lot of adversity.
The Brooklyn Nets’ defense is another thing that keeps the team winning games. They have a defensive player of the year candidate in big man Nic Claxton. While Ben Simmons may be failing to produce when it comes to shooting the ball, he is certainly still contributing in big assist numbers and strong defensive play showing how much the Nets have finally heated things up.
Watch Brooklyn Nets Games at Hibernia Bar
No matter what gets thrown at them, the Brooklyn Nets stay tough and keep putting up wins. Come out and support the Nets and enjoy great food, drinks, and friends at Hibernia Bar. There’s also the Steelers 2023 draft to focus on now too. 🙂