In January of 2021, James Smith wrote the article, “It’s Championship or Bust for the Brooklyn Nets.” The Nets had three star players in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, and were expected to put Brooklyn in the position to win the NBA Finals. Now as of Wednesday, none of the Nets stars are left.
That is because Brooklyn traded Durant of Washington, D.C. and forward T.J. Warren of Durham, North Carolina to the Phoenix Suns for small forward Mikal Bridges of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, power forward Cameron Johnson of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, forward Jae Crowder of Villa Rica, Georgia, and four first round draft picks according to Michael Scotto of hoopshype.com. As part of the deal, there will also be a draft swap in 2028. The Nets previously traded Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers a year ago and Irving to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
Durant, will now be part of a new big three in Phoenix that includes Chris Paul and Devin Booker. He is joining his fourth NBA team following nine seasons with the Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder organization, and three seasons each with the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. Durant is averaging 29.7 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, and 5.3 assists per game in 2022-23. He has a field goal percentage of .559, three-point percentage of .376, and a NBA-leading free throw percentage of .934.
Bridges is joining his second team after five seasons in Phoenix. This season, he was averaging 17.2 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game, 3.6 assists per game, a field goal percentage of .463, a three-point percentage of .387, and a .897 free throw percentage.
Johnson is joining his second team after four seasons in Phoenix. This season, he was averaging a career-high 13.9 points per game, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Johnson also has a field goal percentage of .474, a three-point percentage of .455 and a free throw percentage of .818.
How far will the Suns go with Durant, who has led the NBA in scoring four times? Are they legitimate contenders now to win the NBA Finals? Phoenix is currently tied for fourth in the West with the Dallas Mavericks at 30 wins and 26 losses. Tell us what you think in the comments below.
