The Brooklyn Nets are of the teams of recent memory in the NBA that many fans wonder what could have been if the Big 3 was kept together. With Kyrie Irving being a pivotal part of the Dallas Mavericks making it to the NBA Finals, it could be time to revisit another vaunted backcourt.
At one point, the Nets had been able to put forth a team comprising of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and the aforementioned Irving. One thing to point out is that a lot of people are discussing whether Irving and superstar Luka Doncic are one of the best, if not the best, backcourts in the history of the league.
When it comes to Irving, there is nothing on a basketball court that he cannot do as many regard him as the most skilled player in the history of the sport despite being listed at just 6-foot-2 in a league where the average player is around 6-foot-8 in height.
So, when the Nets traded for Harden during the 2020-21 season after he requested to be traded away from the Houston Rockets, the pairing of Harden and Irving was expected to be something to be told throughout the following eras of the NBA as a backcourt to remember.
Due mostly to injuries, Irving and Harden did not play much together during their year together as teammates in Brooklyn. Harden was eventually traded to the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2021-22 season after things did not work out for the pairing.
While the reasons that Harden and Irving are no longer with the Nets for various reasons, it’s important to keep in mind that Brooklyn had one of the better backcourts in NBA history as well. With that being said, Irving and the Mavericks will begin their quest for an NBA title on Thursday as they take on the Boston Celtics.
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