Perhaps the primary lesson from what did or didn’t happen at Thursday’s NBA trading deadline is this: super teaming is not easy.
The Brooklyn Nets acknowledged as much in parting with James Harden from what was supposed to be the invincibility of Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
The Philadelphia 76ers previously recognized as much, with Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons leading only to playoff disappointment after having trusted the process. So, Simmons for Harden it was.
And the Los Angeles Lakers recognized that there simply wasn’t a way to trade out of the ongoing misery that remains LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. So, play-in round it might well be.
The Nets previously had to accept that there is more to success than the touting of a Big Three, when the aging trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Deron Williams imploded seemingly upon creation.
For all the hype the NBA’s broadcast partners have attempted to create with selling of Big Three hysteria (three photos do fit conveniently in those television graphics), arguably since the Miami Heat’s titles in 2012 and ‘13, it hasn’t been the league’s ultimate winning formula.
Take last season’s NBA Finals. There was the singular stardom of Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the championship way for the Milwaukee Bucks (with all due respect to Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton). And with the runner-up Phoenix Suns, it was Chris Paul and Devin Booker as leaders, with the rest respecting their roles as complements.
When the Lakers won in 2020, there were James and Davis as dual leading men.
Before that, the championship ensemble of the Toronto Raptors.
And, yes, while James, Irving and Kevin Love stood at the heart of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 title, most of that NBA Finals era was dominated by the quality depth of the Golden State Warriors, from Durant to Stephen Curry to Klay Thompson to Draymond Green, and beyond.
Before that, the San Antonio Spurs won with Tim Duncan and/or David Robinson, and ample support.
With Kobe Bryant’s Lakers before that.
The Bryant-Shaq Lakers before that.
And then the championship Bulls of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and whoever happened to be along for the ride.
What has made the NBA compelling this season (even with so much televised New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers singeing our eyes) is the return to the notion of team.
Atop the East, it has been the mix-and-match Heat that on any given night could have Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro or Kyle Lowry as leading scorer.
Similar team concepts have had the Bulls and Cavaliers as two of the most interesting stories in the conference.
And in the West, the top four teams — Suns, Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz — all are defined by a compelling complementary commitment.
Basketball as a team sport, a total team sport. Who knew?
So perhaps the Nets get it right with this latest triplicate star system.
Perhaps Harden does with Daryl Morey in Philadelphia what the volume scorer and general manager couldn’t achieve with the Houston Rockets.
Or perhaps the Lakers’ offseason selloff of quality depth in the shortsighted sellout for Westbrook opens eyes to how this remains a five-man game, with team-building requiring a count past three.
The future of the notion of the Big Three as be-all-end-all seemingly is at hand.
For the 76ers and Nets, the season hangs in the hope of the delicate triplicate balance.
But for those who prefer a more holistic approach, Thursday’s trading deadline might have offered a sobering reality — and hope.
Ultimately, during this era, it well may take a village to raise an NBA championship banner.
