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 to answer the question everyone has: How did a team that was so talented accomplish so little?

With that, I decided to put the last four years into words, mapping a timeline of the greatest era that never was.

June 30, 2019: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving sign with Nets

The infamous “clean sweep” as coined by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. After exceeding expectations and earning the sixth seed the season prior, Brooklyn signs Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan in free agency. Irving and Durant push for Jordan, who signs a four-year, $40 million contract, to come to the borough alongside them.

The star duo joins a supporting cast that features Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, and Jarrett Allen. Still recovering from his Achilles tear, Durant will miss the coming season as he continues his rehab process.

March 7, 2020: Nets fire head coach Kenny Atkinson

Brooklyn fires Atkinson midway through his first season of the Durant, Irving era. The head coach had thrived in a developmental role while coaching Brooklyn's young up-and-coming core in prior seasons. It is reported well down the line that Atkinson's desire to keep Allen in the starting center role over Jordan became a source of contention between him and his new star duo:

“According to multiple sources, the starting assignment at center became a source of internal strife, with DeAndre Jordan the preferred option for the vets, while Atkinson favored the blossoming Allen,” ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz wrote. “Sources describe the situation as a proxy battle between the scrappy pre-2019 Nets and the new brand-name iteration. As much as the existing core in Brooklyn acknowledged that having transcendent talents would goose the offense, the cultural transition ‘bummed them out a little,' in the words of one source with knowledge of the locker room dynamic.”

Assistant Jacque Vaughn takes over as head coach for the remainder of the 2019-20 season. Irving misses the majority of the year with a shoulder injury and Brooklyn finishes the covid-laden season as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with a 35-37 record. The Nets are swept in the first round by the Toronto Raptors in the bubble.

September 3, 2020: Nets hire Steve Nash to replace Atkinson

Brooklyn announces the hiring of Steve Nash as head coach, signing the hall-of-fame guard to a four-year contract. It is Nash's first-ever head coaching job.

Having worked with Nash when the two-time MVP was a consultant for the Golden State Warriors, Durant plays “a critical role” in the hire, according to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer:

“Durant's strong connection with Steve Nash from their days with the Golden State Warriors played a critical role in Nash's being hired as head coach,” Fischer said.

Nash and general manager Sean Marks also have a strong connection having played together in Phoenix. A week after the decision, Irving is quoted speaking about the hire on Durant's podcast:

“I don’t really see us having a head coach,” Kyrie Irving says. “KD could be a head coach, I could be a head coach (some day)… Steve is great, and I have a relationship with him that’s going to build over time. I saw him at the Hall of Fame two years ago, gave him a big hug and now he’s the head coach. And I think it’s also going to change the way we see coaches.”

Kyrie Irving says he wants a head coach who will “get to know him as a person” rather than force their own philosophy and “change everything we’re doing.”

“We always heard and saw how great Nash was as a player, but also when you get to know him as a person, you understand why he can coexist with us,” he says. “We don’t need someone to come in with their coaching philosophy and change everything we’re doing.”

Brooklyn has a slow start to the season, posting a 5-6 record before a seismic trade shakes up the organization, as well as the rest of the league.

January – April, 2021: Irving takes two absences for personal reasons

Following the Jan. 6 capitol riots, Irving tells the Nets he will miss the next two games due to personal reasons. On Jan. 9, the guard is photographed at a birthday party for his sister in violation of league covid protocols. Irving is forced to quarantine for a full week with Brooklyn unaware of when he will rejoin the team. The second-year Net eventually returns on Jan. 20 after a seven-game absence.

In March, Irving does not travel with the team for a three-game road trip, again due to personal reasons.

January 14, 2021: Brooklyn trades for James Harden

Brooklyn acquires former MVP James Harden from the Houston Rockets. The Nets give up Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, three first-round picks, and four first-round pick swaps in the deal.

According to Fischer, the idea of joining the Nets is planted in Harden's head while playing pick-up with Durant in Los Angeles during the offseason. Following the full implosion of the Durant-Irving era Thursday, The Ringer's Bill Simmons said Durant and Harden pushed Nets owner Joe Tsai to make the deal that formed Brooklyn's big three:

“I know this for a fact: when they were really pushing for Harden to get traded from Houston to Brooklyn, KD and Harden FaceTimed (Tsai) together to try to convince him to do the trade. And KD really vouched for Harden.”

The deal forms what some call the most talented offensive trio in the history of basketball. Brooklyn posts a 41-18 record following the trade, finishing second in the Eastern Conference. They breeze past the Boston Celtics in five games during the first round with Durant, Irving and Harden leading a historically efficient offense.

June 5 – 19, 2021: Nets meet Bucks in 2nd round of playoffs

Following the gentleman's sweep of Boston, the Nets meet the third-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the second round. During the first play of game one, James Harden injures his hamstring and is quickly ruled out.

Despite the injury, Brooklyn opens the series with a win. They then lead by as much as 49 points in a game two blowout victory. With a 2-0 series lead, the Nets trail 44-38 in game three when Irving elevates for a layup and Irving lands on Giannis Antetokounmpo's foot, injuring his ankle. The guard is ruled out for the rest of the series.

Despite Irving's absence, the Nets take a three-point lead with 1:23 remaining but fall in the last second in Milwaukee. They go on to lose by eleven in game four while struggling to find offense without Irving and Harden. With the series tied 2-2, the Nets fall behind by as many as 17 early in game five, but 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists from Durant carries Brooklyn to victory. They then lose by 15 in Milwaukee, setting the stage for game seven.

Prior to the deciding matchup, Harden announces he will play, although as the game goes on it is clear he is still injured. Trailing 109-107 with six seconds remaining, Durant collects an inbounds pass, drives left on P.J. Tucker, stops, and drains a turnaround jumper.

It appears to be a three-pointer but is ruled a two as Durant's toe was on the line.

The shot gives the forward 48 points on 17 of 33 shooting. The game goes into overtime. However, with Durant and the shorthanded Nets fatigued, Milwaukee outscores Brooklyn 6-2 in the extra period to earn a spot in the Eastern Conference finals. It's a series Bucks guard Jrue Holiday would later say “took years off his life.”

October 12, 2021: Nets announce Irving will not be with team until vaccinated

Still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, New York enacts a workplace vaccine mandate. With Irving unvaccinated and thus ineligible to play in home games, the Nets announce the guard will not practice or play with the team “until he is eligible to be a full participant.”

“Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose,” General Manager Sean Marks says. “Currently the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability.”

December 17, 2021: Nets bring Irving back for road games

Despite a 21-8 record to start the season, injuries and covid protocols leave Brooklyn severely shorthanded. With Durant's already heavy workload building, the Nets announce they will bring back Irving as a part-time player.

“We arrived at this decision with the full support of our players and after careful consideration of our current circumstances, including players missing games due to injuries and health and safety protocols,” Marks said in a statement. “We believe that the addition of Kyrie will not only make us a better team but allow us to more optimally balance the physical demand on the entire roster.”

January 15, 2022: Durant sprains MCL leading to extended absence

Sitting in first place in the Eastern Conference with a 26-15 record, Kevin Durant suffers an MCL sprain when Bruce Brown collides with his knee during a home win over the New Orleans Pelicans. It is later announced that the forward is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with the injury.

February 10, 2022: Nets trade Harden to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons

The Nets go on to lose six of their next eight with Durant sidelined and Irving shuffling in and out of the lineup. While on a five-game losing streak, Brooklyn continues a West Coast trip in Sacramento on Feb. 8 against the struggling Kings. Harden is noticeably despondent throughout the game, scoring four points on 2-of-11 shooting with six turnovers on his way to a team-worst -21 for the night.

The Nets lose 112-101 and the guard's lack of effort turns heads across the NBA:

A week later, Harden is no longer a Net. Brooklyn trades the guard to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks. Following the trade, an ESPN article from Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski says Harden was devising an exit strategy to Philadelphia as early as training camp with Irving's status uncertain while unvaccinated.

“Harden was quickly hedging on his future with the Nets,” sources told ESPN. “He kept telling Tsai and Marks he wanted to stay long term, but simultaneously started canvassing player agents for advice on an eventual exit strategy to Philadelphia.”

The article also detailed Harden's poor physical condition heading into the season:

“From the moment Harden reported to training camp this fall, the Nets knew they could have trouble,” it reads. “Durant arrived in San Diego at a world-class level, fresh off brilliant springtime playoffs and Summer Olympics performances and ready to commit to the Nets and his co-stars with a new extension for the next four years. It was not reciprocal. Harden was heavy and out of shape, and intrigued with the idea of free agency for the first time in his career.”

Kevin Arnovitz reported that Harden's poor physical condition drew a wedge between him and Durant from which the team could never recover.

“Sources say that much of the discontent between Harden and the Nets started in September when he arrived into training camp out of shape,” Arnovitz said. “With Irving's status already in flux due to his unwillingness to get vaccinated, Durant was astonished in the opening weeks of the season at Harden's lack of explosiveness and sluggish play, something he attributed in large part to Harden's being out of shape.”

“Harden, sources say, found Durant's slant grating and self-righteous. The two never resolved the conflict, and there was little that teammates, coach Steve Nash or Marks could do to mediate it.”

There was also clear tension between Harden and Irving surrounding the latter's unavailability while unvaccinated. The Athletic's Joe Vardon said sources told him that Harden “looked at Irving like he had three heads” when the guard lit some sage in the locker room before a Jan. 17 game in Cleveland:

“In their locker room before the game, Kyrie Irving lit ablaze some sage — a Native American ritual Irving has embraced to cleanse negative energy,” Vardon said. “Irving doesn’t do this before every game, but he apparently still feels haunted by parts of his past on the Cavs. So he lit his torch.”

“Harden, according to sources who were in the room when it happened, was seated in front of his locker, watching Irving, and looked at Kyrie like he had three heads.”

Following the Harden-Simmons trade, the Nets continue their freefall. They are 32-31 when Kevin Durant finally returns. With Ben Simmons unable to play due to a back injury and mental health issues, Brooklyn's top player is left with a part-time Irving and an underwhelming supporting cast as the Nets attempt to climb out of the hole.

April 17 – 25, 2022: Celtics sweep Nets in 1st round of playoffs

With nine games left in the regular season, New York City Mayor Eric Adams lifts the workplace vaccine mandate. The decision makes Kyrie Irving eligible to play in home games. Brooklyn finishes the season seventh in the Eastern Conference. Irving and Durant lead their team past the Cleveland Cavaliers in the play-in to set up a first-round rematch with the Celtics.

Despite 39 points from Irving, the Nets lose game one on a buzzer-beater layup from Jayson Tatum.

With a dramatically undersized supporting cast, both Irving and Durant struggle for the remainder of the series as Brooklyn is swept by the eventual Eastern Conference champion.

June 27, 2022: Irving opts into final year of contract

With one year left on Irving's contract, the guard voices his desire for an extension to the Nets. Following a dysfunctional season centered on Irving's vaccination status, Brooklyn is hesitant to make a long-term commitment. They offer Irving two and four-year contracts with incentives based on games played, which he declines. Unable to come to an agreement, the Nets grant Irving permission to seek a sign-and-trade.

With little interest around the league, he opts into the final year of his contract.

June 30, 2022: Durant requests trade from Brooklyn

With his belief in the team waning after Brooklyn's first-round exit, Durant requests a trade on the eve of the offseason, identifying the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat as his preferred destinations. The Nets tell him they will look for a trade but only one that was in the franchise's best interest.

With Brooklyn unable to find a return they deem adequate, Durant and Tsai meet in August while both are in London. The former MVP issues an ultimatum calling for Marks and Nash to be fired. Tsai quickly responds by publicly voicing his support for his coach and general manager:

With the team unable to find a trade and training camp approaching, Durant and the Nets issue a joint statement that they will move forward together.

November 1-9, 2022: Nets fire Nash, hire Jacque Vaughn as head coach

After opening the season 2-5, the Nets fire Nash. The team names Vaughn interim head coach. Soon after, reports emerge that Brooklyn intends to hire suspended Celtics coach Ime Udoka to fill the vacant position. The report is met with heavy criticism. Already embroiled in a controversy surrounding Irving's posts of an antisemitic film, the Nets pivot and officially name Vaughn head coach.

November 3, 2022: Nets suspend Irving for posts of antisemitic film

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Before a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks one week into the season, Kyrie Irving posts a link to the film, Hebrews To Negroes: Wake Up Black America, which endorses several antisemitic tropes. After the posts gain nationwide media attention, Irving refuses to apologize during a combative postgame press conference.

In the coming days, NBA commissioner Adam Silver issues a statement voicing disappointment that Irving has not apologized. During an interview at Nets practice, the guard calls some of the antisemitic material in the film “questionable” and “unfortunate” but again refuses to apologize. When pressed for a yes-or-no response to whether he has antisemitic beliefs, Irving replies:

“I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from.”

Hours after the press conference, the Nets suspend Irving for a minimum of five games, calling him “unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.”

Irving misses eight games before issuing an apology and returning to Brooklyn's lineup.

January 9, 2023: Durant sprains MCL again

Following Irving's return, the Nets win two of their next four games. They then catch fire, winning 18 of 20, the best stretch in franchise history. After the historic hot stretch, Brooklyn sits just a half-game back of the league's top record. Irving is among the league's top guards and Durant is having one of the best two-way seasons of his career, averaging 30 points per game while shooting over 55 percent from the field.

During a matchup with Miami, Jimmy Butler falls into Durant's leg while coming down from a layup attempt. The Nets star attempts to remain in the game but eventually exits and is quickly ruled out. Durant is diagnosed with an MCL sprain in the opposite knee as the season prior and is ruled out indefinitely.

With Irving playing the best stretch of his Brooklyn tenure, the Nets manage better than they did during Durant's absence the season prior. However, they fall to fifth place in the East after losing seven of their next 11 games.

Feb 3 – 5, 2023: Nets deal Kyrie Irving to Dallas after trade request

Before a Jan. 25 matchup in Philadelphia, Irving voices his desire to remain in Brooklyn long-term. Irving's agent tells Chris Haynes that the guard is seeking a contract extension, proclaiming that the “ball is in the Nets' court.”

The fourth-year Net and Brooklyn enter negotiations. Brooklyn offers Irving a contract with incentives, something he is “vehemently against” based on reports. According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, Brooklyn is willing to offer a maximum of three years. However, Irving wants a longer deal with no stipulations.

With negotiations at a standstill, Irving has his agent call Marks on Feb. 3 to request a trade. Brooklyn begins fielding offers with a clear intention to move the guard before the Feb.9 deadline. The Suns, Lakers, Clippers and Mavericks all make bids for the All-Star. The Lakers, Irving's preferred destination, offer both of their future first-round picks and Russell Westbrook. However, the Nets have no interest in a deal that includes Westbrook.

Brooklyn eventually decides on Dallas' package of former Net Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round pick and two second-round picks.

Feb 9, 2023: Nets trade Durant to Phoenix

Following the Irving trade, Brooklyn begins searching for other deals to surround Durant with talent. The Nets inquire with Toronto about Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. However, Raptors president Masai Ujiri is reportedly seeking “a godfather” offer for either. In Brooklyn's case, Toronto has their eye on Nic Claxton, who they attempted to trade for at last year's deadline, as well as draft compensation. The price is too steep and no deal is made.

Durant asks the Nets for a meeting Monday, according to Wojnarowski and Shelburne. The 13-time All-Star requests a trade to Phoenix specifically. Durant informs the team he will play out the rest of the season if they cannot facilitate a deal. Tsai calls new Suns owner Mat Ishbia, with whom he has a prior relationship, to inform him that Durant would like a trade to Phoenix.

After three days of negotiations between the two teams, they agreed to a deal early Thursday morning. Brooklyn receives Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and one first-round pick swap. Just like that, the four-year Durant-Irving era comes to a close.

For many, Durant and Irving's tenure in Brooklyn will be met with laughs. For others, it will be met with “what ifs”.

What if Kyrie got vaccinated? What if Durant's foot was a size smaller? What if Harden never asked out? What if Durant didn't injure his knee during a historic hot stretch? Given Brooklyn's historic talent at its peak, these questions will be asked for years to come. When Durant and Irving are long retired and reminiscing about their careers, it's fair to assume the “what ifs” will creep into their minds.

The Nets now find themselves in what is described as a “retool” as opposed to a rebuild. Unlike the years before Durant and Irving came to Brooklyn, the team is armed with a stockpile of draft picks and a deep roster of established, high-level rotation players. Given Marks' success the last time around, there's no reason to believe Brooklyn can't be competitive in the coming years.

However, as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving walk out the door, so does any hope of the Nets competing for a title. And for a team that has been a fixture in that conversation for the last three seasons, hitting the reset button is a harsh reality.