Nets Insider Videos


A Look Back at Nets Original Big Three Era




Author Rick Laughland joins the Only Nets Fans you Know Podcast to discuss the Nets' Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson led Nets teams in the mid-2000's.



Rick and Peter reminisce about Carter's iconic run with the franchise,  they discuss if the Nets should retire his number and how Jason Kidd's legacy in New Jersey should be remembered today.

Remember when Jimmy Butler had Nets on his wish list?

 



A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the Nets and Jimmy Butler seemed almost destined to unite.

Before the sign and trade for Kevin Durant, before signing Irving and DeAndre Jordan in Brooklyn's clean summer of 2019 free agency sweep, Butler had the Nets as a preferred destination.

After falling in Game 7 of the semifinals on a dramatic Kawahi Leonard game winner enroute to Toronto's lone title, Butler went on a free agent tour that included Brooklyn, the Lakers, Sixers and Heat.

Ultimately, Butler landed in South Beach, while the Nets pulled the trigger on the duo of Durant and Irving.

Durant and Irving were a package deal, but Nets fans can't help but wonder what things would have been like had Butler replaced Irving alongside Durant.

While Irving was the impetus for Durant joining Brooklyn, the New Jersey native had a tumultuous four seasons with the Nets that culminated in his and then Durant's trade demand.

Butler is the kind of selfless superstar that Brooklyn needed. The anthesis of Irving. Low maintenance and dedicated to basketball. Butler has a Brooklyn grit to his game that would have resonated with the fan base and complemented Durant even moreso than his eventual costar Irving.

Alas, the stars were not aligned and Butler is in the midst of his second NBA Finals appearance in three years. Last year his title push fell short in Game 7 of the Conference Finals as he barely missed a last second shot that would have sent Miami to the finals.

Meanwhile, Durant and Irving didn't sniff a finals appearance and their tenure was rife with dysfunction, off the court distractions, and injuries that derailed a potential championship push. 

A Nets trade package for Brown too good to resist

 



If following the Brooklyn Nets has taught us anything, it's that anything is possible. From forming an unprecedented super team to watching it vanish overnight, Nets fans have experienced the highs and lows of NBA free agency and the trade deadline in recent seasons.

Back in the summer of 2022 when Kevin Durant made his first trade request, there were rumored deals of him going to Boston in exchange for a package centered on Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and draft picks.

That deal never came to fruition, due largely to Durant rescinding his request, only to reissue it behind the scenes. This was after Kyrie Irving skipped town by demanding a trade two days before Durant and being shipped to Dallas for Dorian Finney Smith and Spencer Dinwiddie.

 Durant was ultimately packaged with TJ Warren for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four first rounders. That deal is looking pretty good for Brooklyn, despite being swept out of the first round of the playoffs. 

Meanwhile, Brown's name has been beaten into the ground in Beantown as Jayson Tatum's costar had a difficult series against Miami including an ugly Game 7 where he shot 8 of 23 and committed a career high 8 turnovers.

Brown is eligible for a supermax extension and is set to become a free agent following the 2023-24 season. The Nets are currently looking to rebuild a contending team and adding Brown is one way to transform the club into a force to be reckoned with in the East.


Now there are a few factors to consider here, chief among them is Brown's willingness to not only leave Boston, but to show a desire to come to Brooklyn to play for Joe Tsai. Brown heavily criticized the Nets owner's handling of Kyrie Irving's suspension in the wake of his promotion of a film with antisemitic tropes. Tsai made Irving compete a five step program for reinstatement. 

Ultimately, Boston would need a haul to move on from Brown and the proposed trade would be at least a conversation starter for Sean Marks and Brad Stevens. While Houston and newly hired coach and former Boston head man Ime Udoka are clearly the front runners to acquire Brown, the Nets could be the dark horse in the race to nab the two-time All-star this summer. 




Two Ex-Nets need to rejoin Brooklyn in FA




 The Brooklyn Nets have turned the page from yet another dysfunctional and disappointing Big three era, but that hasn't stopped Brooklyn fans from keeping tabs on three former Nets'  free agency status. 

Believe it or not, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and DeAngelo Russell are all available to the right suitor.

Harden has been linked to rejoin the Rockets, who hired former Nets assistant and Celtics head coach Ime Udoka. 

 Irving spent the second half of the 2022-23 season with the Dallas Mavericks. While Irving rejoining the Mavericks is a likely scenario, both the Suns and Lakers have been listed a possible destinations for the maestros who orchestrated the destruction of Brooklyn's superstar era. 

Finally, Brooklyn's starting point prior to Irving, Russell enjoyed a superb year in his return to the Lakers for a run to the Western Conference Finals before his production took a major hit at the hands of Nicola Jokic and the Nuggets.

The most likely Nets reunion is Russell as the Nets have a glaring hole at point guard with fans not exactly onboard with Spencer Dinwiddie playing the role as the everyday starter.

Another former Net fan favorite becomes a free agent this summer: Caris LeVert. If Sean Marks were to reassemble the "Good Guy Nets," save Kenny Atkinson and Jarrett Allen, it would create a lot of goodwill with fans.

The front office would need to make some roster maneuvering to make this a reality.

While it's clear neither Irving or Harden would be welcomed to return or have any desire to come back to Brooklyn, bringing back Russell and LeVert may be the answer Marks has been searching for after the Big Three era fell apart at his feet this season. 

 Adding experienced but still ascending pieces around Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, who the team has interest in extending, could make Brooklyn an intriguing team next year.


Is it Time for Nets to bail on the Ben Simmons experiment?

 


Ben Simmons' NBA career isn't over, but his time with the Brooklyn Nets might be just about up.

Fresh off off-season back surgery, Simmons was a shell of his former self in 2022-23. While the former Sixer showed flashes of promise, before his debut season for the Nets gathered virtually any steam, knee and back problems sidelined him for large portions of the season.

Simmons has never been a shooting savant, but his lack of confidence and willingness to attack the paint were clearly evident this past season.

Steve Nash and eventually Jacque Vaughn did little to unlock the All-star talent that is buried somewhere within this broken player.

If the Nets are hoping to be relevant next season, Vaughn and his staff's number one priority has to be tapping into Simmons' psyche and maximum his contributions by getting him mentally and physically right.

The Nets championship window with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving has officially closed and ushered in a new youth moment led by Mikal Bridges, Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson who will more than likely re-sign this summer.

Brooklyn has cap flexibility to add a superstar, but they have a former star who has been languishing on the injury report the better part of the last two seasons.

The onus is on Simmons to attack his rehab this summer and for Vaughn's retooled coaching staff to make the point forward whole again. Simmons can be part of the Nets youth movement of the future, but unless he starts showing some strides, Sean Marks may send him out of town for whatever return package he can net come the trade deadline.



Kevin Durant has yet to thank Nets fans for time in Brooklyn

Kevin Durant is awfully active when he's conversing with randoms on Twitter or defending his legacy against former NBA greats like Shaq, but the former Net has yet to bid farewell to the place he called home since 2019. 

 Durant was traded in the wee hours of the night just prior to the morning of the NBA's trade deadline day on February 7. After his partner in crime, Kyrie Irving, requested and was granted a trade to the Dallas Mavericks, following failed contract extension talks, Durant followed in suit.
NBA.com
The 7-footer, known for his Twitter fingers and skipping town when things get difficult, hopped ship again to Phoenix to join his second super team after choosing Golden State back in 2016. 

 Durant only furthered the narrative that he can't be the bus driver for a championship team and his lack of a tribute to the hard working fans who cheered for him and paid their hard earned money to see him is nothing short of classless. 

 Durant's running mate, Irving, had nothing but a contentious relationship with the media, rocky rapport with the front office and was a major reason for James Harden's trade demand a season ago. 

 Regardless of Durant's feelings towards ownership or the front office, Durant owed a debt of gratitude to the fans for their loyal support. The Nets even traded him to his preferred destination in Phoenix and did the same for James Harden last year when he requested a move to Philadelphia. 

 Durant's partner, Rick Kleinman, of 35 ventures, also tweeted a subtle jab in the aftermath of the former Nets trade request. Durant leaves the organization without delivering a single title, NBA Finals appearance, conference finals appearance, divisional banner or any noteworthy accomplishment. 

 Nets fans deserve better. If Durant couldn't deliver a single banner, the least he could do is acknowledge Nets fans as he slips out the backdoor overnight.

This trade can help stabilize reeling Nets

The Brooklyn Nets are fading fast with superstar Kevin Durant sidelined at least another two weeks and with Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons in and out of the lineup due to injury maintenance. Brooklyn lost Durant to an isolated MCL sprain in his right knee in what turned out to be a win over Miami on January 8. To that point, the Nets were eyeing a matchup with the defending Eastern Conference Champion Celtics on January 12, with a chance to win and take over first place in the conference and secure the NBA's best record. Three straight defeats later and with Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Cleveland all gaining ground, the Nets now sit in a virtual tie for fourth place in the East. How quickly things change in the NBA landscape. But with a little creative manuevering on the part of Sean Marks, the Nets can recharge and stop the sinking ship without Durant shouldering the scoring load. Unfortunately, after multiple ankle surgeries, Joe Harris' mobility is not where it once was and his shot making from 3-point range has been erratic this year. Patty Mills has been a consummate professional and locker room leader, but he's been relegated to reserve minutes if he even cracks into Vaughn's rotation. As for the Nets second-year guard Cam Thomas, he's a lethal scorer, but his defense, playmaking and overall awarness leave quite a bit to be desired at this point in his young career. Now the Nets have been burned by Danny Ainge before while he was in Boston managing the Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry trade, so while Utah's GM may push for additional picks, the following makes sense for both clubs. With his team struggling to find an identity and its way without Durant, Marks will need to be active ahead of the trade deadline if he hopes to contend with the top clubs in the East.

This stat reveals Nets as most clutch NBA team

Players and coaches lie, but stats don't. So while the Nets are 10-1 over their last 11 games and Kevin Durant is playing at an MVP-level, Brooklyn has been most impressive when the stakes are highest. The Nets are tops in the league in clutch winning percentage, which is defined as games that are within 5 points inside of five minutes. 

Brooklyn's last two wins came in comeback fashion over Toronto and Detroit by overcoming double digit deficits in each contest. l  


The Nets are winning, not whining. It's a sharp departure from all of the noise, hoopla, controversy and dysfunction that has plaugued the team the last few seasons.

 Brooklyn welcomes the defending champs into Barclays Center on Wednesday where the club can secure its 20th win of the season.

 They are within striking distance of both Boston and Milwaukee atop the Eastern Conference.

Durant, Curry are in a similar predicament

 

 
  Photo by Doug Bearak

So far both Kevin Durant and Steph Curry are building strong cases to garner MVP consideration.

The Nets and Warriors have vastly underwhelmed so far this year despite their respective stars doing everything in their power to turn the tide.



Brooklyn already parted ways with head coach Steve Nash, suspended Kyrie Irving for promoting a film with anti-semitic tropes, while enduring a summer that include a Durant trade the was ultimately rescinded. 

Throw in offseason back surgery to Ben Simmons and ankle surgeries to sharpshooters Joe Harris and Seth Curry and the Nets have dealt with a world of obstacles.

The defending champs, on the other hand, celebrated a triumphant six game series win over the Celtics, but are showing major signs of a championship hangover.

 The core of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have won four rings together, but at their advanced ages, the championship window is closing fast.

The same can be said for a Nets squad that hasn't been able to get their act together despite Durant's greatness.

There were rumblings this off-season that Durant could rejoin the Warriors squad he spearheaded to two titles, and perhaps both he, the Nets and the Warriors may have been better off if that type of transaction took place this summer.

Fifteen games into the season, the Nets look more like a lottery team than a playoff contender, while the Warriors are one road loss away from setting a new franchise record for consecutive road defeats to start a season. 

For now, enjoy both Curry's and Durant's greatness because the rest of their teammates are not necessarily pulling their weight.

Kyrie Irving's latest tweet reveals hope for his Nets' future




For the first time since tweeting an apology for promoting an anti-semitic film, Kyrie Irving's latest tweet is letting fans know that he'll likely be back on the court sooner than later. Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai set forth six steps that Irving needed to take to be reinstated with the club. Assuming Irving satisfied those requirements, he will be eligible to play after serving his five game suspension.

While the tweet doesn't provide complete clarity, it is the clearest indication to date that there is a path forward for Irving with the Nets.

Even Nets fans don't like the Brooklyn Nets

 

Doug Bearak


The Brooklyn Nets are making it impossible for even their own fan base to tolerate their complete chaos.

Steve Nash and the club mutually agreed to part ways on Tuesday, while former assistant Ime Udoka has been reportedly finalizing a deal with the team.

This comes on the heels of the bombshell report two months ago from the Celtics that Udoka had an consensual relationship with a female employee in Boston. Not many details have emerged from the report, but many believe it's a lot messier and uglier than it looks.

Before the Nets could complete damage control with Kyrie Irving, who took to Twitter and Instagram to promote a film based on a book with anti-semitic tropes, a coaching change was made.

Nash is out, Udoka is reportedly in and Irving is so far off scott free after double down on his support for a film that promotes hate speech.

It's the latest in a Brooklyn fiasco with Irving at the center of it all. In the interim, Jacque Vaughn has been named the interim head coach starting when the Nets host the Bulls Tuesday night.

To make matters worse, Ben Simmons will miss his second straight game after suffering an apparent knee injury. Since Irving and Durant's arrival, the Nets have been without a title and filled with drama, causing more headaches than triumphant moments for fans.

Things have been an on unmitigated disaster since 2019, so can you even blame Nets fans for turning their backs on this laughing stock of a franchise?

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