Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant's world is burning down around him.
The 2-6 Nets agreed to part ways with Steve Nash Tuesday, and they seem locked in on poaching suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka for the position, though general manager Sean Marks claims no decision has been made. Amidst all the drama, Kyrie Irving is currently under fire for promoting antisemitism, while Ben Simmons (remember when the Nets traded James Harden for him) looks like he has no interest in being a professional basketball player and is now dealing with a knee injury after tweaking his back earlier this season.
So, how did the Nets find themselves here? It has been a pretty wild ride going back to when Durant and Irving first joined forces in 2018, but let's simply rewind back to June 2022 for a recent timeline of turmoil.
June 27 – Kyrie Irving wants to leave Nets
On June 27, the Nets gave Irving permission to seek sign-and-trade opportunities in the offseason. Contract negotiations had gone stagnant, and it looked like Irving's future with the Nets would be short-term. Irving heavily campaigned for the Lakers to trade Russell Westbrook and two first-round picks for the superstar, but there was no deal. Despite the caliber of player that Irving is, not a single team in the NBA was willing to give up assets for an expiring contract with Irving's personal unpredictability. Therefore, Irving had no choice — he was going to be a Net this season and decided to opt in to his contract worth over $36 million before hitting free agency next summer.
June 30 – Kevin Durant wants out
Just one year after signing a four-year extension with the Nets and right after Irving's opt-in decision, Durant informed Marks and owner Joe Tsai that he was done with the organization right as free agency was set to get underway. A messy breakup looked to be on the horizon, and the Nets spent weeks trying to find an acceptable package for a player of Durant's caliber. The whole NBA world paused to see what would happen with Durant — there was even a free agency and trade freeze during the offseason. Everyone had to know what was going to happen with Durant first.
August 8 – Durant wants Nash/Marks gone
Durant met face-t0-face with Tsai, reiterating his trade request, but there was a caveat: Durant told Tsai he had to choose between the coach-GM duo of Nash-Marks or Durant himself. Durant told Tsai he did not have faith in the direction of the franchise, and did not believe the Nash-Marks duo could put a championship team around him.
August 23 – Durant has nowhere to go
Nash, Tsai, and Marks met with Durant and his agent in Los Angeles, deciding to move forward with the partnership after the front office could not find a legitimate trade offer that leveled Durant's worth. The Nets managed to keep Durant and Irving, and it looked as though they could finally move on from this fiasco and start building a legitimate championship team. Nash insisted Durant's request to have him gone was par for the course, saying, “Families go through things like this, go through adversity go through disagreements,”
October 27 – Irving's antisemitic tweet
Just days ago, Irving posted a cryptic tweet with a link to a film that has antisemitic messaging, and he provided absolutely no context. In a press conference Saturday, Irving refused to talk about the film, insisting he was not promoting the film but merely posting it. The Nets star insisted he harbors no hate towards any religion, but did not take the tweet down until days later. In response to Irving’s initial tweet, the Nets indicated they “have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech” and stressed the need for “open, honest dialogue.” Owner Joe Tsai said he intends to speak with Irving to “make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.”
November 1 – Nash fired, Udoka a potential new Nets hire
Durant finally got his wish, albeit three months later. The Nets decided part ways with Nash after a 2-5 start to an unruly season, with KD claiming he was surprised by the news and finding out after he woke up from a nap. Nash had zero coaching experience and was thrust into a championship-or-bust situation — it was a tough situation to be put in. Now, the Nets are looking to potentially hire Ime Udoka, who was suspended by the Boston Celtics in the offseason for an inappropriate relationship with a woman within the Celtics organization. Amidst the Udoka rumors, Marks remained steadfast that the Nets would conduct a full coaching search before making a final decision.
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What's next in Brooklyn? The Nets are floundering right now as they deal with all this turmoil off the court and shoddy play on the court, with injuries not helping matters. Even with the talent on the roster, this looks nothing like a championship group. Assuming they follow through with the Udoka hire despite all the PR issues, will he be able to fix this mess? It seems unlikely, but we'll see where this soap opera turns next.
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