The Brooklyn Nets were seen as NBA championship contenders before the year started. They had Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving all healthy with some good surrounding pieces. Then Irving missed a ton of games due to his vax status, Harden requested a trade, Durant got hurt, Ben Simmons never played and they ended up barely making the seventh spot in the East. Next they got swept by the Boston Celtics and did not look like a team ready to compete.
So what is next for the Brooklyn Nets come the 2023 NBA season? We dig in below:
Run it back with a healthy Ben Simmons
This team has talent with Durant and Irving. If they think a healthy Simmons is what the missing piece was, they could choose to run it back with this same team next year.
Trade Kyrie Irving
Irving got a ton of heat for him missing so many games. When he was healthy he was good though. He doesn’t defend and didn’t show up in the playoffs, however. Trading him for a younger guard and a solid big man could be the move for them.
Blow it up
This would mean trading Durant and Irving. No team is likely to offer much for Simmons, so if the Nets believe in him, they could build the team around him as he is still just 25-years-old. Trading Irving and Durant would give them a ton of cap space as well as a ton of picks to quickly rebuild.
Photo Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kyrie_Irving_-_51831772061_01.jpg
