In 2021, the Brooklyn Nets were in their prime. James Harden was the key playmaker, and was an exceptional scorer on offense, Kyrie Irving had elite handles, able to quickly drive by almost every opponent he faced, and Kevin Durant (KD) was able to fit anywhere on the court because he was the best of both worlds. This is what many might think. However, this is completely false. Although it might seem that the Brooklyn Nets are in the gutter because of how they traded off all their star players, their main mistake was actually bringing the big three (KD, Irving, and Harden) to the team in the first place.
It all started with a huge gamble: Kyrie Irving was acquired as a free agent, and subsequently Kevin Durant was traded to the Nets in exchange for Shabazz Napier, Treveon Graham, and D’Angelo Russel. Following both trades came significant problems. For one, Irving was constantly getting injured. Although this was out of the Nets’ control, this situation could have been avoided if they had focused on acquiring more future first-round picks and pick swaps. These are more likely to pay off in the near future because they can’t get injured, and new talent is often better than old talent. Take Victor Wembanayana, for example. During his rookie season alone, he averaged 21.4 points per game, and is only increasing that number, having gone at 24.3 points per game in the 24-25 season. Also, assembling a team that is loaded with star players leads to problems with ego, and lesser-skilled players doing less work on the team. To maximize a team’s potential, having only one star player could avoid this problem.
However, this wasn’t the worst of the Nets’ bad decisions. Two years after bringing KD and Irving to the team, James Harden was traded to the Nets in a four-team trade in exchange for Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs, and multiple first-round draft picks and pick swaps. With the amount of assets given away, the Houston Rockets (one of the teams involved) were essentially able to control the draft for 8 years. This was one of the worst decisions made in NBA history—because of how it backfired for the Nets. What was the main reason? Well, Jarrett Allen was one of, if not the strongest, defensive anchors on the team. Having him out of the picture left most of the defense up to KD and Harden, which was working out, until Harden was injured during the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Even after returning during game five, Harden was rendered useless on the court, only managing five points because he had not fully recovered. As a result, KD was left to cover his weaknesses. Although they did end up winning the game, in the end, KD could realistically only cover up the team’s weaknesses for a week—not for an entire season—and the Nets went on to lose the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks in game 7. Just like that, one of the biggest “What Ifs” in history had turned into a complete mess, and the Nets were forced to spend their next season cleaning it up.
James Harden was traded to the 76ers in February 2022, followed by Irving to the Mavericks in February 2023 and KD to the Suns in February 2023 all for mediocre players and other first-round picks—exactly what they had given up before they acquired the big three. Now, in 2025, the team is still facing the consequences of their huge gamble. As of November 12, 2025, the Nets have a record of 1-10 in the 25-26 season, one of the worst starts in the league, and there are no star or key players who can help fix that. Some might point to Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. as elite scorers, but Thomas lacks consistency on the court, and Porter has severe ball-handling limitations. For these reasons, the future of the Brooklyn Nets is concerning at best.
