Ex-Nets stars must own full blame for team's implosion
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Kyrie says the Nets could've won multiple titles with him, Durant and Harden had some things go a different way: "It's sad to say it was a failure without a proper context"
Kyrie says the Nets could've won multiple titles with him, Durant and Harden had some things go a different way: "It's sad to say it was a failure without a proper context" originally appeared on Basketball Network. Now, in 2025, it's obvious that the Brooklyn Nets' construction of a Big Three back in 2021 wasn't a good move. On paper, the trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden seemed unstoppable, but in reality, they were nowhere near the ultimate goal to win the NBA championship. However, people forgot how many positive moments the team had, too. And maybe, had the few dominos fallen a different way, today, we would've talked about them in a different way. A special first year That's at least what Kyrie thinks when he spoke about the Nets during his recent stream. In fact, he says he'll always remember that first season they had together when Brooklyn played like a frontrunner to win the championship. "That first year that we were all together was really special. We had veterans, we had young guys, we literally breezed through a regular season. It was so easy. And I gotta give everybody their flowers that were in that locker room because we really came together at the right time," Kyrie explained before continuing about what-ifs of the situation. "You know, I get injured, James [Harden] gets injured in those playoffs, we don't know what could've happened. We only played a few games together and we were 13-3, I believe. It's sad when we look at this time to say it was a failure without a proper context for how all of this ended up playoffs, if KD's foot doesn't hit the line, or things work out differently, maybe we're sitting here multi-time champions, a few of us got MVPs. We can go into hypotheticals, but it was a tough environment for all of us," Kyrie to a championship than it seemed The 2021 Nets were a second seed in the Eastern Conference with a 48-24 record, in a season that was shortened to 72 regular-season games due to COVID-19 pandemic. In the playoffs, they dominated the Boston Celtics in five games before facing off against the future champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, where KD's foot on the line that Irving mentioned happened. It transpired in Game 7, when Durant hit what appeared to be a crazy turnaround three over P.J. Tucker to give the Nets the lead with one second remaining, just to have the replays show his foot was on the line. The game went into overtime, where the Nets lost. Also, as Kyrie mentioned, most of that series KD played without an injured Irving and Harden and Durant averaged a ridiculous 35.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game without them. In Game 7 alone, he had 48 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Nobody scored more points in the history of Game 7s. The bad thing is, the Nets failed to build on the positives from that season. They were never close to the top of the Eastern Conference again, which Harden apparently already sensed by requesting a trade less than a year after that series vs. Milwaukee, as he ended up with the Philadelphia 76ers. Kyrie did the same shortly after and he went to Dallas Mavericks and Durant was the last to leave for the Phoenix Suns. Since the split up, Irving is still with Dallas, Harden has left Philly for the Los Angeles Clippers and Durant was traded this offseason to the Houston Rockets. None of them won the championship after the split and Kyrie was the closes to do it in 2024, losing the Finals to the Boston Celtics in five story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
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6 hours ago
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Nets' Michael Porter Jr. discusses coming to Brooklyn as a veteran
LAS VEGAS -- Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. was given some surprising news in the early days of free-agency when the Denver Nuggets traded him to the Nets. Brooklyn was willing to trade forward Cam Johnson to get Porter and a 2032 first-round pick and Porter has finally had some time to explain what he has been feeling over the past couple of weeks. "Definitely excited to see these young guys. I know we got some young talent out there, so excited to see what they can do. I'm excited to be here," Porter said to the media prior to Sunday's summer league game against the Washington Wizards. Porter said in a video on his YouTube channel, Curious Mike, that he found out about his being traded while on a flight to St. Tropez. "Honestly, probably pretty quick," Porter said when asked how long it took for him to change his mind to being part of the Nets. "I kind of flipped the script in my head pretty quick. Honestly, I'm not like a super anxious guy or anything like that. When I found out, I was kind of just like, 'well, I'm traded,' and took a nap afterwards. I'm excited to be here, though. I love Denver, I love my time there, but I'm excited for this new chapter." Porter, 27, comes to Brooklyn as one of the oldest players on the team, meaning that he will have to be a presence for the roster on and off the floor. Porter has spent the majority of his seven-year career playing with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, but now, he will have to bring his championship experience and scoring ability to a rebuilding Brooklyn team that is looking for multiple players to step up. "I think it's more of what I'm used to, I think," Porter said when asked about his leadership being tested with the Nets. "Coming into the league and being the guy your whole life and then, coming in and there's players that are better than you, been there longer than you, all those things, that's an adjustment. Whether it's some young guys around and you get to bring the energy and have a leadership role, I think that was how it was on all the teams that I played on." This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Michael Porter Jr. discusses coming to Brooklyn as a veteran
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nets' Michael Porter Jr. excited for his next chapter in Brooklyn
Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. was involved in one of the more surprising moves in the 2025 NBA offseason as he was traded by the Denver Nuggets during free-agency. Brooklyn not only acquired Porter, but they also received a 2032 first-round pick from Denver, showing how committed they were to making a change and Porter is excited for what's next. "I'm really excited for this next chapter out here in Brooklyn. I think over there in Denver, I felt like my ceiling had kind of plateaued," Porter said in a video posted to his YouTube channel called "Curious Mike." Porter spent the first half of the video giving thanks to everyone within the Nuggets organization before moving to the portion where he addressed going to the Nets. "I myself am excited to expand my game and be able to do what I do," Porter continued. Porter went on to explain how he found out that he was traded while on a flight to Saint-Tropez, France by getting texts from his agent and Jon Wallace, Denver's EVP of Player Personnel. Porter also mentioned that he and Cam Johnson, whom the Nets traded for Porter, are good friends and may be staying in each others homes. Porter, 27, comes to Brooklyn as an NBA champion and a player with six years worth of playing experience in the league after missing his rookie year due to injury. Porter had one of the best seasons of his career last season as he averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 50.4% from the field and 39.5% from three-point land. After being on a team in Denver that had been competing for championships with center Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray on the roster, Porter will be going to a Brooklyn team at the beginning stages of its rebuild. From the way that Porter talked about what could come from this next chapter with the Nets, it sounds like he's excited and determined to show more of his game in a bigger role. This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Michael Porter Jr. excited for his next chapter in Brooklyn
