It has been nothing short of a total catastrophe in Brooklyn.
Despite not having any deals triggered yet, many fans already kind of assume that neither Kyrie Irving nor Kevin Durant will play for the Nets for the entirety of the 2022-23 season. Keep in mind that KD has asked for a move and negotiations have continued on Irving. Even while things have settled down on these fronts, it's difficult to rule out a Brooklyn shake-up later this summer or before 2023's trade deadline.
The 2021-22 Nets season was one of the craziest ever:
•Kyrie Irving misses over half the season due to a vaccine mandate
•Kevin Durant misses half the season due to injury
•James Harden becomes washed and asks out
• “Iron Man” Joe Harris misses almost the whole season pic.twitter.com/nBa6J88hQ6— Brooklyn Netcast (@BrooklynNetcast) August 6, 2022
Even when looking at their offseason moves, the Nets haven't necessarily improved. There are several ways to slice and dice their additions and subtractions. Losing Andre Drummond, Bruce Brown, and Goran Dragic doesn't necessarily hurt them. On the other hand, adding T.J. Warren and Royce O'Neale doesn't really move the needle, too. Managing to keep Nic Claxton and Patty Mills was solid, though.
Keep one thing in mind, however. Until the Brooklyn Nets resolve their internal turmoil, none of these actions will matter.
Again, nobody is absolutely certain if either or both KD and Kyrie will be traded. To compound things, nobody also knows if Ben Simmons will play this season. The Nets just have numerous unanswered mysteries.
They're driving themselves and their fans crazy. Let's enter the circus.
Nets 2022-23 Predictions
3) Nobody would want Ben Simmons
The last time we watched Ben Simmons play in the NBA, he left us with a bad impression. Recall how he hesitated and decided against going for a dunk in the last seconds of a game to avoid getting fouled. Simmons followed that up by requesting for a trade and refusing to play for the 76ers due to mental health issues. Then Philly sent Simmons to the Nets for James Harden.
Although Simmons was supposedly close to returning during the playoffs, he never played a single minute for the Nets. That was reportedly due to back and mental health issues, which likely frustrated his teammates.
Fans have seen his social media exercise videos, though. Sadly, not even all the Instagram exercise videos in the world won't make up for his historically low trading value. The Nets, in fact, are hesitant to deal him because it is so low.
Again, keep in mind that in the past 13 months, Simmons hasn't played. He also just underwent back surgery. The Nets just cannot afford to regard Simmons as a simple throw-in and are apprehensive of moving Simmons for too little.
Nobody wants him. Maybe the Nets don't even want him, too, but even they won't want to lose him for nothing in return.
2) Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will stay
Both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving appear to be aware of the reality that leaving Brooklyn will be incredibly tough and highly likely.
Remember that the threshold set by the Rudy Gobert trade has made a potential deal call for a historic return because Durant is undoubtedly the current best player in the game. Irving, meanwhile, is among the NBA's most gifted and enigmatically mysterious players. The majority of clubs would be thrilled to have his talents, but his temperament and salary cap expense for the upcoming season are veritable turn-offs.
As good as both KD and Kyrie are, however, it's also clear that teams won't part with their own tier 1 or even tier 2 pieces. In fact, guys like Scottie Barnes in Toronto and Mikal Bridges in Phoenix are off the table. For Irving, it seems like the Lakers are the only willing trade partner, but on the flip side, they don't seem to have any assets that are enticing for the Nets.
1) The Nets will still not win the NBA championship
“This has to go down as one of the most epic failures in the history of this league… It was the most unguardable offensive trio in the history of this league, and look what they have to show for it.”
– Tim Legler sounds OFF on the Durant-era Brooklyn Nets
(via ESPN) pic.twitter.com/F8tr6eHMTe
— ProCity Hoops (@ProCityHoops) June 30, 2022
Due to the possibility of losing at least one of their star players, the Nets' NBA 2022-23 campaign appears to be in jeopardy. Looking ahead, though, nobody sees this team as a bona fide title contender. That's even if Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are still part of the squad,. It's ironic, considering how they were among the favorites to win the championship title at this time last year.
In most preseason power rankings, the Nets are not even among the league's top ten. In the Eastern Conference, for instance, pundits have ranked many other squads higher. That includes the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers. Some may even argue that the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, and even the Cleveland Cavaliers are objectively better.
Experts claim that it would be unrealistic for the Nets to do well in the upcoming season. That's given how their team dynamic is in utter disarray. The reality is nobody is willing to have faith in the Nets. That's because of how the team imploded last season. In addition, their top three talents are just crazy in more ways than one.
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