Over roughly the last decade, player empowerment has been in vogue in the NBA. What started with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen in Boston in 2008 eventually morphed into everyone and their loved ones finding ways to maneuver themselves into a “Big 3” of sorts. In a league (and the sport of basketball, really) defined by individual talent and star power, the prevailing idea has been that the more stars can gather in one place together, the more success they’ll, in turn, enjoy.
But for every LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, there’s a dud, a random flailing of the arms, a tantalizing pie with scent marks in a windowsil turning out to be a cheap and mean trick.
That’s exactly what happened with the Nets and Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.
When Brooklyn assembled this gifted trio just about a year ago, the conversation was never about how they would win: It was how much they would win. Durant, a perennial scoring champ. Irving, an AAU ball-handling dream. Harden, a deft and efficient playmaker. The possibilities were endless.
How could a team ever think of losing with stars like this?
Then Brooklyn was eliminated in the second round of last year’s playoffs to the Bucks– largely without Harden’s (healthy services). And after a teensy little kerfuffle with Irving and his COVID-19 vaccination status (or lack thereof) that ruffled the NBA’s health protocols, the Nets struggled. Even when Irving would return here and there (once Brooklyn gave in), in truth, they never were at full strength. They couldn’t be.
A team of Hall of Famers had reached its natural climax, and here came the falling action.
An exploration of a swap before next week’s NBA trade deadline as reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania. And a break-up that once seemed unfathomable.
Sources: The Philadelphia 76ers are expected to pursue Brooklyn's James Harden ahead of NBA trade deadline Thursday – and the Nets are now open to discussing a deal.
Details on @TheAthletic: https://t.co/asdsGS0Sht
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2022
It’s not surprising the Nets are trying to fix what is clearly broken. It’s a massive failure that such a talented team on paper only sits at sixth in the Eastern Conference with the All-Star Break right around the corner. The Nets should not only be better; they should be an unstoppable buzzsaw. They should be losing once a month, not once or even twice a week.
Tipico Sportsbook still has the Nets as the outright favorite to win the NBA title with solid +155 odds. But that’s almost certainly not factoring in their lack of chemistry and is more a bet on Durant and Irving’s talent than anything else. Because by that same token, there’s a lofty bet on the Nets actually missing the postseason altogether at +1200 — not exactly an insurmountable prospect for a team with three (or soon to be two?) superstars.
Durant, Irving, and Harden not only never worked well as a unit, they rarely played together. They’ve only played the equivalent of a lengthy postseason run of games together: 16, to be exact.
That’s not a Big 3. It’s a rotating cast of a Big 2, if that.
If James Harden has played his last game as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, the Big Three of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving will have only played 16 games across two seasons together.
Would go up there among the biggest “What Ifs” in NBA History. pic.twitter.com/AFWEe9Y3ge
— Billy Reinhardt (@BillyReinhardt) February 4, 2022
If the Nets were going to blow it up, at least they’re showing some creativity in the process and not simply punting the ball into the ocean. Since last summer, the 76ers and Ben Simmons have been embroiled in their own controversy. Why not see what you could cook up with Simmons while giving Philadelphia the scoring punch it could use to complement Joel Embiid? There have been worse ideas for fresh starts.
In the event of a Harden-Simmons deal, Brooklyn will try and pick up the puzzle pieces quickly. After all, the playoffs and another shot at a title are right around the corner. The time to integrate Simmons and get used to life without Harden — as if they weren’t already accustomed to life without him — will be short.
And unless they climb the mountain with Simmons, meaning, unless they manage to win that title, we’ll be talking about how this current Nets Big 3 never quite lived up to the hype for a long time.
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