The Brooklyn Nets thought they had a potential dynasty on their hands when they signed Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in 2019. But four years later, they entered a full rebuild once Irving requested a trade in the middle of the 2022-23 season.

It's been two years since the Nets moved Irving, but how would the trade look like if it happened today?

The first domino to fall was Spencer Dinwiddie

The initial trade was Irving and Markieff Morris to the Mavs in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and three future picks: an unprotected first-round pick in 2029 and second-round picks for the 2027 and 2029 draft.

When the Nets realized their current roster wouldn't be enough to compete in the East, the first domino to fall was Dinwiddie. The Nets traded him by the 2024 deadline to the Toronto Raptors for Dennis Schröder and former Net Thaddeus Young. This time around, Young wouldn't get a chance to don a black and white Nets jersey as he was immediately waived to open a roster spot.

Schröder, on the other hand, had a positive tenure in Brooklyn (trade value-wise anyway). As the Nets primary ball handler, Schröder averaged career-highs across the board and the Warriors took the bait. By December 15, 2024, Schröder (and a top 37 protected 2025 second-round pick) was sent to the Warriors for De'Anthony Melton, Reece Beekman, and three second-round picks (2026 and 2028 via Atlanta and their own 2029 selection).

The Nets acquired a trove of draft picks from Irving's trading

The other domino involved in Irving's initial deal was Finney-Smith. After a season and a half in Brooklyn, the Nets shipped Finney-Smith along with Shake Milton to try and acquire more future assets. In the end, he'd be traded to the Lakers a few weeks after they traded Schroder for D'Angelo Russell, a seldom-used Maxwell Lewis, and three future second-round picks (Lakers own second-round picks in 2029, 2030, and 2031).

In hindsight, when the Nets chose Irving over Russell as their “point guard of the future” in 2019, all it did was get them Russell again 5 years later. This time, it came with a lot more assets.

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To summarize, here's how the trade would look if it happened in the 2024-2025 season:

Nets trade:

  • Kyrie Irving
  • Markieff Morris
  • Shake Milton
  • 2025 second-round pick (top 37 protected from Heat)
  • Most favorable selection of the Mavericks and Suns 2029 1st round pick

Nets receive:

  • D'Angelo Russell
  • De'Anthony Melton
  • Reece Beekman
  • Maxwell Lewis
  • Least favorable pick of the three in the 2029 draft (via DAL and PHX to BKN; via DAL or PHX to HOU; via HOU's right to swap for DAL or PHX)
  • Eight second-round picks from 2026 to 2031

Getting a player of Irving's caliber is extremely rare. However, acquiring nine picks and a former All-Star for one player is hard to find too. Overall, the Nets seem like they won this trade. While the Mavs did reach the finals with Irving in 2024, he faces a long road ahead of him as he recovers from an ACL injury.

Meanwhile, the Nets got exactly what they were looking for when they traded Irving two years ago: Acquire multiple draft picks and land a veteran point guard.