Erik Slater Articles - Page 30

After dropping six of their first seven games with a revamped roster, the Brooklyn Nets looked left for dead this season. However, the last three games have given the new-look team life. Brooklyn fought back from 28 points down in Boston Friday, the largest comeback in the NBA this season and the largest in franchise […]

Nets center Nerlens Noel will make his Brooklyn debut Tuesday at Houston after the team signed him to a 10-day contract Saturday. The 28-year-old struggled to carve out a role in Detroit early this year, playing just 12 games before eventually agreeing to a buyout. Noel, the 6th overall pick in the 2013 draft, ranked […]

Mikal Bridges has turned heads across the league following a blockbuster trade to the Brooklyn Nets. The 26-year-old is emerging as the Nets’ leading scorer after the team acquired him as part of a package for Kevin Durant at the deadline. Bridges briefly impressed in an expanded scoring role for the Phoenix Suns with Devin […]

The new-look Brooklyn Nets opened up their first win streak of the post-Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving era with a 102-86 victory over the Hornets Sunday. The win comes after the Nets rallied from 28 points down Friday in Boston, matching the largest comeback in franchise history. Brooklyn led by as many as 37 points during […]

Nets big man Ben Simmons has yet to play post-All-Star break and it remains unclear when he will be back. Brooklyn head coach Jacque Vaughn said Friday that Simmons is experiencing back soreness on top of a nagging knee issue that initially led to the extended absence. The coach said Sunday that the 26-year-old recently […]

Friday’s Nets-Celtics matchup at TD Garden looked like a continuation of Brooklyn’s post-Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving nightmare early in the second quarter. The Nets trailed Boston by 28 points and appeared more disinterested with each point the seemingly insurmountable deficit grew. Then something changed. The high-level defense the Nets pictured when they brought in Mikal […]

Ben Simmons is expected to miss more time after experiencing soreness in his back during what has been described as a “strengthening period for his sore knee. Simmons has missed the Brooklyn Nets’ last four games due to the knee ailment. Head coach Jacque Vaughn did not provide a timetable for the three-time All-Star’s return […]

Less than two months ago, Kevin Durant was having one of the best seasons of his illustrious career for a Brooklyn Nets team one game back of the NBA’s top record. Wednesday he made his debut as a member of the Phoenix Suns. The astounding turn of events underscores the unpredictability of the former MVP’s […]

The new-look Brooklyn Nets had the look of a high-level defensive team after an eventful trade deadline. Seven games into the new era, that has been anything but the case. Wednesday’s 142-118 loss to the Knicks was the latest example of the Nets’ defensive incompetence, and perhaps the most dramatic. The 142 points are the […]

Mikal Bridges’ departure from Phoenix was bittersweet. The 26-year-old had emerged as one of the league’s top two-way wings and a fan favorite during the Suns’ emergence to contender status. However, Bridges’ arrival in Brooklyn offered an opportunity he had not yet seen during his four-year NBA career: The chance to lead an offense as […]

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn reiterated Tuesday that the team has had “zero discussions” about shutting down Ben Simmons amid another extended absence. Simmons missed Brooklyn’s last two games due to knee soreness and will miss the next two with the Nets on a back-to-back Tuesday vs. Milwaukee and Wednesday at New York. Jacque […]

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were tied at the hip throughout the majority of their time with the Brooklyn Nets. That’s what made it so surprising when Irving did not inform Durant of his intention to request a trade ahead of this year’s deadline. Both were in the midst of career seasons, leading a resurgence […]

The Brooklyn Nets ruled out Ben Simmons for the third straight game Tuesday versus the Milwaukee Bucks due to left knee soreness. Simmons said Friday that he experienced soreness following a pair of practices at the end of the All-Star break, forcing him to have the knee drained and receive a PRP injection. This marks […]

The Brooklyn Nets are a team without star power after trading away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. It’s a reality that has handicapped Brooklyn offensively in five games since the pair of franchise-altering moves. But Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie pointed to unfavorable treatment from referees as a main factor in those struggles Sunday following a […]

The Brooklyn Nets took on a new identity when they traded Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith. Unlike recent years, they suddenly found themselves stacked with long, athletic defenders while falling short on isolation scoring. This led many to believe an elite defense would be the […]

Brooklyn Nets fans became accustomed to offensive brilliance throughout Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving’s time with the franchise. Regardless of the ups and downs (there were plenty of them), fans could expect to see a show when turning on the television any given night. With Durant and Irving out the door, those fans were smacked […]

Brooklyn Nets big man Ben Simmons is set to miss another extended stretch due to knee soreness. Simmons will miss the next two games after sitting out a five-game stretch earlier this month. The former number-one pick said Friday that he had blood drained and received a PRP injection in the knee before the All-Star […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas made headlines early this month when he became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40-plus points in three straight games. With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out the door, many believed the LSU product’s breakout stretch signaled the birth of a new lead man in Brooklyn. Head coach […]

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn returns from the All-Star break with a fresh contract extension. He also returns with a bevy of new players to integrate as his team makes a playoff push. Following the trades of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant at the deadline, Mikal Bridges, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Johnson, and Dorian Finney-Smith […]

The Brooklyn Nets have signed head coach Jacque Vaughn to a multiyear contract extension. The new deal is expected to keep Vaughn in the position through the 2026-27 season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Vaughn took over as interim head coach following Steve Nash’s dismissal on Nov 1. After rumors that Brooklyn intended to hire […]

Kyrie Irving has been vocal about his time in Brooklyn since the Nets traded him to the Dallas Mavericks two weeks ago. That trend continued at All-Star Media Day. Irving spoke on his tumultuous stint with the franchise, saying he holds “no regrets” with his Nets tenure in the rearview mirror. “I’m grateful to all […]

Kevin Durant followed Kyrie Irving to Brooklyn in 2019. Three and a half years later, he followed him out the door with both requesting trades in a span of five days. Durant’s Nets tenure was marred by off-court drama and severely underwhelming on-court results. Brooklyn looked poised to make a title run in 2021 before […]

Mikal Bridges understood the caliber of player he was replacing when the Phoenix Suns traded him to the Brooklyn Nets for Kevin Durant. “I get it. You’re getting Kevin Durant. Maybe I’d make that trade, too,” Bridges said of his former team’s decision. It’s true, Bridges is not a perennial MVP candidate or generational scorer. […]

Jacque Vaughn took over for a Nets team with title aspirations when he stepped in as head coach early this season. Less than three months later he finds himself navigating a rebuild in Brooklyn. A pair of blockbuster trades sending Kevin Durant to Phoenix and Kyrie Irving to Dallas one year after James Harden’s departure […]

The new-look Brooklyn Nets have reinforcements on the way ahead of their last game before the All-Star break. Brooklyn guard Seth Curry will return to the lineup Wednesday vs. the Miami Heat after missing the team’s last five games with an adductor strain. Curry had struggled to find a rhythm over his last three appearances […]

As Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving departed from Brooklyn at the trade deadline, so did Ben Simmons’ time as a starter. After starting 33 of 38 games to open the season, the Nets’ highest-paid player has come off the bench in his last three appearances. The move has coincided with a declining trend in minutes […]

The streak is over. For the first time in over three years, the New York Knicks took down the Brooklyn Nets with a 122-106 victory Monday at Madison Square Garden. The growing pains of Brooklyn’s new-look roster were on full display as the team struggled to string together positive possessions on either end of the […]

Ben Simmons started every single one of his games during four seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. That three-time All-Star has stepped into a different role at points this season, and the trend is continuing following the Brooklyn Nets’ trades of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Simmons has come off the bench seven times on the […]

The implosion of the Brooklyn Nets’ Big 3 finally completed itself this week with Brooklyn trading Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant within a span of five days. Ironically, as the two Nets stars walked out the door, the long-lost third wheel in James Harden made his return Saturday night. Harden took the floor at Barclays […]

The Brooklyn Nets introduced Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson Sunday just an hour ahead of the pairing’s first game in Brooklyn. It had been a tumultuous three days for the beloved Phoenix Suns duo. Both were traded, along with Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and a pick swap, in a blockbuster deal that sent Kevin […]

Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson will make their Brooklyn Nets debut Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Brooklyn acquired the wing duo, along with four first-round picks and one first-round pick swap, in Thursday’s blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns. Bridges has emerged as one of the NBA’s top wing defenders since […]

As someone who has covered the Nets for years, it is difficult to find the words to describe the turbulence of the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving era in Brooklyn. Through every plot twist of the duo’s tenure – whether vaccine mandates, injuries, trade demands, suspensions, firings, or hirings – it’s easy to get tongue-tied when trying […]

The Brooklyn Nets officially announced their trade sending Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns Thursday. The deal was expanded to a four-team trade with Milwaukee and Indiana. In exchange for Durant and T.J. Warren, the Nets acquire Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, four first-round draft picks, two second-round picks and one first-round pick swap. Following the […]

Hours after acquiring Jae Crowder as part of the seismic trade that sent Kevin Durant to Phoenix, the Brooklyn Nets traded the forward to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team deal with the Indiana Pacers. The full details of the trade are as follows: Nets: Two second-round picks (Via MIL) Bucks: Jae Crowder Pacers: Jordan […]

The era that never was came to a close for the Brooklyn Nets early Thursday morning. Three days after trading Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn agreed to send 13-time All-Star Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and one first-round pick swap. Nets forward […]

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant will not play in the All-Star game next week in Salt Lake City, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes. Durant has missed the last month after suffering an MCL sprain on Jan. 8 in Miami. Head coach Jacque Vaughn said Tuesday that the forward received a positive update on the […]

The Nets ruled out Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith Tuesday vs. the Phoenix Suns Tuesday due to a coach’s decision. Both players are expected to arrive in Brooklyn for physicals Tuesday after being acquired as part of the Kyrie Irving trade. The duo will likely debut Thursday vs. the Chicago Bulls. Ben Simmons will return […]

After Cam Thomas scored a career-high 44-points in a comeback win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaugh said the guard joked that he was the all-time leading scorer of Brooklyn’s “stay ready” group. Thomas has been in and out of the rotation this year while attempting to fill a […]

The Brooklyn Nets’ trade sending Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and draft picks was made official through the league office Monday. The announcement comes after Brooklyn attempted to expand the deal into a three-team trade. “(The) Nets-Mavs trade still hasn’t been made official with (the) league office because (the) […]