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The Brooklyn Nets boasted one of the best offensive trios in NBA history just a year ago with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. They were the favorites to win the championship when they teamed up in 2021. However, Harden left in February 2022, derailing the Nets' chances at securing a title.
They are labeled as one of the most disappointing superteams ever. Interestingly, the trio's tenure ended due to off-court troubles and a lack of playing time together. The Nets former big three played only 16 of 113 regular-season and playoff games together.
During the Brooklyn Nets' road game against the Miami Heat on Saturday, veteran NBA insider Shaun Powell outlined a shocking stat recently comparing the team's current core to the former big three.
Powell stated that the Nets' current trio of Spencer Dinwiddie, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson (who teamed up just over a month ago after the February deadline) have played more minutes than Durant, Harden and Irving did together.
Here's what he said (via Nets Daily):
"Dinwiddie, Johnson and Bridges have now played more minutes together as Nets than Harden, Irving and Durant played together as Nets."
The Nets' current core played their first game together on February 11 and have already played 18 games together. Dinwiddie and Johnson have had their injury issues in the past, but that hasn't been the case so far during their time with the Nets.
Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving initially dealt with injuries. Another reason they didn't get to play together as much was because of Irving's anti-vaccination stance that got him suspended. After Irving returned later that year, Durant went down with another injury, while Harden demanded a trade shortly after.
The Brooklyn Nets' former big three's last game together came during their 2021 NBA Playoffs second-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, which was cut short after Harden injured his hamstring in Game 1.
Brooklyn Nets can still stay competitive and build around new core
The Brooklyn Nets went from a legitimate championship contender to a team forced into a sudden rebuild in weeks. Kyrie Irving demanded a trade after contract negotiations with his impending free agency looming fell apart. He secured a move to the Dallas Mavericks, leaving Kevin Durant as the only All-Star on the team.
Shortly after, KD demanded a trade and secured a move to the Phoenix Suns at the February deadline, ending the Nets' championship pursuit. Brooklyn surprisingly acquired pieces that were a better fit for a playoff contender in both deals, leaving them in a complicated situation.
However, a few weeks down the line, they now appear to have the flexibility to retool and build their roster for the future around some of these pieces. Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Spencer Dinwiddie and Nicolas Claxton could be the players they can look to keep.
Bridges seems to be on his way to becoming an All-Star next year following his remarkable run as the primary option offensively. If the Brooklyn Nets add a veteran star and a young All-Star, they could be on track again to compete for a championship.
They have other role players as trade assets who are fit to play on contending teams and have decent value, along with a bevy of draft capital they secured in deals for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
