It has been a rapid fall from grace for the Brooklyn Nets. Just two years after assembling what seemed to be the greatest Big Three of all time, the identity of the organization is greatly changing. The strong stance on the Covid vaccine and overall lack of availability has seemingly divided the collection of stars. This largely led to James Harden forcing his way to the Sixers in exchange for the disgruntled Ben Simmons. Kyrie Irving was in the final year of his contract last season with a $36.5 million player option still on the table.

Irving's future in Brooklyn is seemingly in doubt as recently reported by Shams Charania.

This impasse is a difficult situation for the Nets. While it is difficult to walk away from such a tantalizing talent, the franchise may be best off doing just this.

3 reasons Nets must just move on from Kyrie Irving

Kevin Durant must be the priority

James Harden and Kyrie Irving are both extremely great players. However, the Nets have been Kevin Durant's team since this roster's creation. The 33-year-old still has some solid years in the tank but must be focused on winning now. The Nets season was a disaster last year despite the impressive play of KD. The 12-time all-star averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists. Durant had played himself into the MVP conversation prior to his injury this season.

Despite the individual success, the Nets were unable to string together enough wins. Their 44-38 record resulted in them falling into the play-in game and were ultimately swept by the Celtics in the first round. As great as Kyrie Irving is, his play style is not particularly complimentary to Kevin Durant. The duo seems to take turns creating their own shots against their opponent rather than playing off of each other. There will be no shortage of players that would be thrilled at the chance of playing alongside Durant. While it would be an immediate short-term hit to walk away from Irving, finding a better-fitting top-tier player, in the long run, would put the franchise in a better position.

Reliability Matters

Sometimes the greatest ability is availability. Kyrie Irving has played over 70 games in a season just twice in his career. Since joining the Nets, the star guard has played just 103 regular-season games and 13 playoff games in his three years with the franchise. While he has been productive when he's on the court, Irving simply has not been available enough. The variety of reasons for missing games has grown tiresome and is something GM Sean Marks has spoken out about negatively.

The Nets essentially chalked up the regular season this year with the confidence their talent would be enough to carry them through the postseason. This plan backfired greatly as they were unable to even win a true playoff game. Team chemistry is still extremely important and it is difficult to develop with one of the most important players missing time on a consistent basis. If there was greater confidence that Kyrie was interested in changing his off-court interests and habits that would be one thing, but he simply cannot be relied on as a cornerstone piece at this point and time.

Capitalizing on Durant's Prime

No player is around forever. It is extremely important to capitalize on a player's window to win while it is still open and this applies to Kevin Durant. The former league MVP will be 34 heading into next season and likely coming toward the tail end of his best years. Any year not spent competing for a title is a waste at this stage in his career. While walking away from Irving could be perceived as a step backward, the concern of if he could be a help toward the championship goal should be weighed heavier. Durant is at the level of stardom that every player would be excited to play with. This is seen with the number of guys willing to take minimum deals but applies to top-end players as well. If the Nets free up this cap space, expect it to be a desired location for the next disgruntled star.

There are still reasons to be optimistic surrounding the current Nets team. Any team with Kevin Durant on it is still surely a contender. Ben Simmons is certainly a major question mark but could be an interesting complementary piece. While he lacks the star power of Kyrie Irving, Simmons' passing ability would fit nicely alongside Durant. The roster is a fairly blank canvas that they can fill with better-fitting players. While star power oftentimes is highlighted, having a connected team that compliments each other is crucial to winning a championship. The Nets have a major chance to build the roster in a more effective way by bringing out the best in Kevin Durant.