Led by future Hall of Famers Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the star-studded Brooklyn Nets are somehow the only team in the 2022 NBA playoffs to exit without winning a game. That fate became final Monday, when Boston secured a 4-0 sweep to wrap up the first-round series.
Though Houston controls Brooklyn’s first-round NBA draft assets through 2027 as part of the blockbuster James Harden trade from January 2021, there are no immediate value implications. The Nets’ 2022 draft pick was locked at No. 17 overall after the play-in tournament, since the NBA does not factor in playoff results when determining its order.
Nonetheless, with Rockets general manager Rafael Stone in control of five additional seasons of Brooklyn’s first-round assets (swap rights in 2023, 2025, and 2027, along with direct pick conveyance in 2024 and 2026), the question marks surrounding the Nets could still work to Houston’s eventual benefit — even with the 2022 pick already finalized.
For example, Durant turns 34 years old in September and has had many injury issues in recent seasons. What happens if his game starts to decline? Or what if, as former teammate and current NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins suggested Tuesday, Durant decides to look for a new team?
.@Kendrickperkins thinks KD should ask the Nets for a trade 👀
"If I'm Kevin Durant, I'm getting the hell out. Kevin Durant deserves better." pic.twitter.com/czYXeKi8H9
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 26, 2022
There are also questions surrounding co-star Kyrie Irving, who has a player option to enter free agency in the 2022 offseason. And can the Nets ever get Ben Simmons — acquired as a centerpiece when Harden forced his way to Philadelphia in February — back on the court? Brooklyn expected Simmons to make his 2021-22 season debut during the Boston series, but he abruptly changed course late in the process.
There are certainly no guarantees that Brooklyn will decline. While Durant and Irving (30) are at ages where some declines can occur, it’s certainly not unprecedented for both to continue at their current production levels for some time. Moreover, Simmons will turn 26 in July, so there’s still plenty of time for him to get his NBA career back on track.
But suddenly, there are very real questions regarding the long-term outlook for a franchise that many around the NBA saw as an inevitable “super team” when the Rockets dealt Harden to Brooklyn in early 2021.
As such, after seeing many around the league question the value of those draft assets based on Brooklyn’s perceived strength, fans in Houston are enjoying how the tables suddenly turned. Scroll on for some of the top tweets, as Rockets fans hope for the best with those future picks.
