Big Three in Brooklyn

The Brooklyn Nets currently sit at the 3rd seed in the Eastern Conference as the newest powerhouse in the NBA.  They completed a four-team trade for superstar James Harden in mid-January that shook the league.  Now having three all-stars they are automatic contenders for the 2021 NBA title.

The Nets had a slightly underwhelming start to the season only going 7-6 before acquiring James Harden.  They, unfortunately, lost their guard Spencer Dinwiddie early in the season to an ACL tear.  He will miss the rest of the season and will be missed by the Nets come playoff time.  Along with Dinwiddie, the star point guard Kyrie Irving had to miss some time early in the season due to some injury concerns and personal reasons.  Kyrie is back now and has been playing very well with his fellow all-star teammates, James Harden and Kevin Durant.

The acquisition of James Harden was a massive move for the Nets as they now have 3 of the greatest offensive players in the history of basketball on one team.  Harden, Durant, and Irving are all incredible scorers who can shoot the lights out.  In the four-team trade, the Nets did have to give up a lot of assets and some promising young players.

In total, the Nets ended up giving up Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, and Rodions Kurucs along with 3 first-round picks and the rights to swap four other first-round picks.  This is quite an impressive package although it was spread across 3 other teams.  Caris Levert is a young guard/forward who has proven to be an impressive scorer and Jarret Allen is a young center who is a great athlete and a presence in the post.  These two were crucial in the Nets rotation prior to the trade. Since the trade, they have been missed as the Nets could use some more consistent bench scoring.  Prince and Kurucs are also young prospects who may develop in the next few years.  The large package of picks may turn into some great players too.

Nonetheless, the Nets have what they wanted which is a powerhouse team led by 3 all-stars.  They lack some depth and size, but they may be able to sign a free agent or potentially make another trade before the deadline.  They have some of the best scorers in the game and there’s no doubt the Big Three in Brooklyn will be competing for a championship this year.