The Brooklyn Nets and the Houston Rockets have been linked in numerous speculations especially after James Harden added the New York-based squad as one of his preferred trade destinations. Despite all the talk over the offseason, no deal ever came to fruition between the two teams up to this day.

Recently, Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie suffered a partially torn ACL which now rules him out for the remainder of the season. Nonetheless, there weren't any advancements made in trade talks as Dinwiddie was previously seen as a trade piece that could be dealt away if a Harden deal was to be done in the future.

Via ESPN's Zach Lowe on his podcast:

“Spencer Dinwiddie’s health did not make or break the Nets’ ability to get James Harden,” he said. “It’s unclear to me, frankly, if those teams have had anything resembling a serious conversation about James Harden. Let’s make that clear. I don’t sense that there’s been hardly any traction there at all. And maybe the way the Nets started had them thinking ‘Why are we messing with this?’”

Despite not getting to add the 2018 NBA MVP to their roster, the Nets are still a team to be feared, especially in the Eastern Conference. The squad headlined by the high-scoring duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving showed out in their season opener against the Golden State Warriors where they dominated in a 125-99 victory.

They carried the momentum in their second game against the Boston Celtics where the Nets came out with a commanding 123-95 triumph. However, the team was stopped in its tracks by the Charlotte Hornets, led by Gordon Hayward's 28-point outburst en route to a 106-104 defeat.

In their most recent matchup, the Nets failed to recuperate as both Durant and Irving rested and sat out against the Memphis Grizzlies squad that eventually escaped with a 116-111 overtime victory.

On the other hand, the Rockets are already 0-2 in the season after consecutive losses against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Denver Nuggets with James Harden remaining at the helm.

Even after losing an important piece like Spencer Dinwiddie to injury, the Nets are still a force to be reckoned with.