Tag: Brooklyn Nets

Nets get even better grade for Kevin Durant trade after Mikal Bridges deal

After the Brooklyn Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for quite the haul, their trade of Kevin Durant is looking even better.

The Brooklyn Nets have been one of the more interesting teams in the NBA in recent memory and not for all of the best reasons. After the past two seasons, Brooklyn have traded three superstars along with a valuable two-way player in Mikal Bridges, but they’re at least getting their praises for their return.

In a recent article by Bleacher Report, their NBA staff decided to regrade some of the biggest trades that have happened in the last five years. As every Nets fan knows, Brooklyn has been involved in some of the biggest trades over the past couple of seasons, including trading Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns.

As a recap of the trade, the Nets received Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Cameron Johnson, 2023 first-round pick (Noah Clowney), 2025 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, 2028 first-round swap, 2029 first-round pick while the Suns received Durant and TJ Warren.

While many had said at the time that the Nets do not do a good job of managing their superstar era of Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden since all of the stars requested their own trades before anything substantial happened.

Given that Brooklyn was able to get so much for Durant and then get so much for Bridges after trading him to the New York Knicks last month, the franchise is now looking like one of the best organizations in terms of getting equitable returns for their players.

As a result, Bleacher Report gave the Nets an A++++ grade because of the combined returns for Durant and Bridges and now, Brooklyn is set up well for the next few years in terms of draft capital. Here’s what Dan Favale had to say about the Nets’ grade:

“Bridges was just flipped to the New York Knicks for five additional first-round picks and another first-round swap. Brooklyn was also able to leverage Phoenix’s 2027 and 2029 selections into regaining control of its own first-rounders for 2025 and 2026.

All told, the Nets basically turned KD and two swaps into seven extra first-round picks, the return of the rights to a pair of their own firsts, another two swaps and Cam Johnson. (Crowder was also used to scoop up seconds from Milwaukee in 2028 and 2029—another savvy move).”

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Nets’ Dennis Schroder fires back at Suns’ Kevin Durant’s Team USA photo

Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder is speaking his mind on Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant viral Team USA photo after winning the gold.

Brooklyn Nets guard Dennis Schroder is fresh off leading Germany through the 2024 Paris Olympics while also being regarded as one of the five best players to play in the tournament. After Germany was defeated by Serbia in the bronze medal game, Schroder commented on the differences between European basketball and American basketball, something that Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant responded to in his own way.

While it seemed that the back-and-forth between the two NBA players would end there, it looks like Schroder has more to say about Durant responding in the way that he did. Schroder, who streams on Twitch, recently discussed Durant’s photo showing the members of Team USA with their gold medals after beating France with the caption “entertainment and IQ.”

On his stream, Schroder called Durant “weak” for saying what he said given that Durant is held in higher regard in the NBA space than Schroder is. It seems that Schroder did not appreciate Durant taking a shot at him on social media, something that Durant has been known to do throughout his career.

“They won, and Kevin Durant tweets, ‘High IQ and entertainment.’ For me, that’s just being weak,” Schroder said. “You’re that type of a star, and you have to say something to a person like me who not even meant it to be negative. It was just what I see from both sides, you know what I’m saying? I didn’t appreciate it.”

As a recap, when Schroder was asked about the differences between American basketball and European basketball, he said that European basketball is “no entertainment, it’s straight IQ basketball. Straight coaching.” Durant may have taken these comments from Schroder as a slight implying that European basketball is how the game is supposed to be played while American basketball is just for entertainment and no substance.

Seeing as both guys don’t hesitate to speak their peace, this could be something that last into the regular season.

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Nets’ Jordi Fernandez talks Nic Claxton being a priority this summer

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez says that center Nic Claxton was a priority this summer and explains their growing partnership.

The Brooklyn Nets made some big moves this offseason when they hired former Sacramento Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez and re-signed center Nic Claxton to a four-year, $97 million deal in free-agency. While Fernandez was joining the team for the first time, he had no doubts that Claxton was someone he wanted on the team no matter what.

“He was our priority this summer. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do age-wise and how he’s progressed all his years,” Fernandez said in an interview with HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto when asked about Claxton. There was plenty of chatter over whether the Nets would be bringing Claxton back to Brooklyn due to his next contract projected to be around $25 million per year.

“Me and the organization believe he’s still getting much better and can be a Defensive Player of the Year,” Fernandez explained. “He’s a good playmaker and can be an even better playmaker. We’re excited about his development and that he’s a part of the organization for a long time.”

When Fernandez was introduced to the media earlier this summer, one of the more interesting things he said during his press conference was his belief in Claxton having the ability to be a Defensive Player of the Year kind of player. With the way that Fernandez has been talking about Claxton, it seems that the two are destined for a fruitful partnership.

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Nets’ Dariq Whitehead keeps a good perspective on injury recovery

Brooklyn Nets forward Dariq Whitehead did not play like he wanted to during the Las Vegas Summer League, but he still believes in himself.

The Brooklyn Nets are heading into a rebuild where they will be prioritizing the development of their recent draft picks and the other young players on the team. One of the players on the roster that Brooklyn will be keeping their eyes on is 2023 first-round pick Dariq Whitehead, a player who is still working his way back from injury.

“I’m just happy to be up and down running up and down the court. Last year, I was here on the boot and stuck in crutches,” Whitehead said at the Las Vegas Summer League last month when discussing his shooting struggles. In his first appearance in Vegas since he wasn’t able to play during his rookie season because of his recovery from foot surgery, Whitehead did not play like many Nets fans had hoped on the offensive end.

“Just being able to be out there with the guys and not watching them is a huge blessing for me,” Whitehead explained. “I just don’t want to hang my head on making shots and missing shots right now because I want to make sure I work through things. I know once I get going and get fully my legs back under me, I’m going to make shots. That’s what I do.”

This summer, Whitehead played four games for the Nets in the summer league and while he looked to be mostly back physically, he still shot just 14.6% from the field and 5.0% from three-point land. While Whitehead didn’t play this summer like he had hoped, it’s good to know that he still has the confidence in himself to do his job.

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Nets’ Cam Thomas is looking forward to being a leader this season

Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas is set to be the primary scorer for a rebuilding Nets team, but he is also looking forward to being a leader.

Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas is slated for an important role for the 2024-25 season as he will most likely be the lead scorer for the rebuilding franchise. After last season in which he put his name on the map by scoring 22.5 points per game, Thomas is looking to expand his game beyond the tangible.

“Just being more of a leader. I’m really honing in on that and starting early with that,” Thomas said last month to Erik Slater of ClutchPoints when asked about what’s the next step for him. Thomas rose to being one of Brooklyn’s best players last season despite not having a stable role in the rotation until the second half of the season.

“I kind of did it towards the second half of last year because it’s something I wanted to try as the year went on,” Thomas explained. “I’m gonna try to start this year off focusing on that because, honestly, I am [a leader]. I think I’m the second-longest tenured guy on the team, so I am one of the leaders on the team. So I’m definitely trying to hone in on that.”

Heading into this upcoming season, Thomas will be the primary scorer on the team especially after the Nets traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks last month for as many as five first-round picks and three players.

There are still plenty of veterans from last season remaining on the roster, but regardless of what other trades happen between now and the beginning of the season, Thomas is ready to be everything that is required of a team’s best player.

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Could the Nets have swapped Kyrie Irving for Mavericks’ Jalen Brunson?

The Brooklyn Nets could have been able to swap Kyrie Irving for Jalen Brunson before trading Irving to the Dallas Mavericks?

The Brooklyn Nets are in the middle of their latest rebuild as they are looking to find their next superstar or two in the upcoming NBA Drafts. The hope is that Brooklyn can find a player that they can develop in-house, but there is one player that could have been with the franchise if certain events went differently.

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon recently went on the “Knicks Film School Podcast” with Jonathan Macri to discuss various topics related to the New York Knicks after everything that has happened this summer. One of the talking points that came up was whether the Nets could have gotten Knicks star Jalen Brunson in a trade for Kyrie Irving during the 2022-23 season with the Dallas Mavericks.

“The funny thing is, if Brunson signs that extension with Dallas, I think there is a high likelihood that he would be with the Brooklyn Nets right now,” MacMahon said. MacMahon is giving his opinion here, but it is interesting to hear these comments from him given that the Mavericks are part of his coverage for ESPN so it’s possible that there could be some chatter behind what he’s saying.

“Mark Cuban has always been about chasing stars,” MacMahon explained. But, I think there’s a decent chance that Jalen Brunson would have been moved to Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving still ending up in Dallas.” During the 2022-23 campaign, the Nets traded Irving to the Mavericks after the two sides were unable to come to terms on a contract extension and Brooklyn received Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith along with draft picks.

To add to this revisited moment, the Mavericks had the chance to offer Brunson a four-year, $55 million deal prior to when he broke out with the Mavericks during the 2021-22 season. As Brunson explained on the “All The Smoke” podcast with former NBA players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, Dallas wanted to wait to give Brunson the extension and after that, it seemed that Brunson wanted to go elsewhere which is how he ended up signing with New York in free-agency the following summer.

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Suns troll Nets fans, Brooklyn residents during release of 2024-25 NBA schedule

The Brooklyn Nets finally saw their entire schedule for the 2024-25 NBA season, but the Phoenix Suns decided to troll them for their laughs.

The Brooklyn Nets can move forward knowing every matchup that they will be playing during the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season after the league released the full schedule on Thursday. With Brooklyn patiently awaiting the start of training camp and everything that follows, they may have some extra motivation from a Western Conference foe.

As is the case for most events in the NBA calendar, every team tries to partake in the event in a creative way, such as doing something cool that’s related to the release of the schedule. For a team like the Phoenix Suns, they decided to approach their schedule release by making sure that every team had a reason to get back at them in some way.

When it came time for the Suns to describe Brooklyn’s fanbase, they used a trope that is common for the Nets, especially since the team hasn’t been in Brooklyn for the franchise’s entire existence. In what is one of the most common memes to be used nowadays, the man (Brooklyn residents/fans) that is walking with his girlfriend (Nets) is looking back to look at the other girl (New York Knicks).

For anyone that is in a relationship, this is a big no-no, but it seems that enough people believe that Nets fans are always looking at the Knicks, especially with the franchise potentially on the brink of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals this upcoming season. Ultimately, all of this trolling is in the name of good fun and it brings an added element to one of the most exciting times of the offseason for NBA fans.

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Nets’ 2024-25 regular-season schedule overview; notable matchups

Here is the Brooklyn Nets’ full schedule for the 2024-25 regular season, including when Mikal Bridges is coming back to Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn Nets have changed the direction of their franchise after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks this summer exchange for a ton of draft picks. After the release of the preseason schedule and the matchups for the Emirates NBA Cup, Brooklyn fans now don’t have to wait any longer to know the rest of the schedule.

As promised, the NBA released the schedule for all 30 NBA teams on Thursday and for the Nets, they will have one of the less eventful slates, but there’s still a lot to look forward to. For starters, the Nets will be opening their season on the road against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

Brooklyn will be playing their home opener against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, Oct. 27 in a matchup that could have been the beginning of the end for the Nets last season. At this moment, the most important date on the calendar is when Bridges will make his return to Barclays Center after being traded to the Knicks.

Bridges makes his return to Brooklyn on Tuesday, Jan. 21 as the Knicks and Nets will face off for the third time this season when that matchup happens and it will be interesting to see how the fans welcome him back to Barclays Center. After having 11 national television games last season, the Nets will not play for a national TV audience once this upcoming season. (Correction: the Nets will play five games on National TV, three within the month of March.)

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Former Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris retires from NBA after 10 seasons

Former Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris is retiring from the NBA after 10 seasons, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

The Brooklyn Nets are currently in their latest rebuild attempt as they try to find their way back to NBA relevance with the hopes of the Draft answering their calls. One of the players that was a staple of the franchise in its journey from rebuilding team to title contender is hanging up his sneakers.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium on Thursday, former Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris is retiring from the NBA after 10 seasons. Harris is going out on a sad note as he played in just 16 games for a Detroit Pistons team that was the worst in the league last season and could have used Harris’ shooting ability.

Harris is known for his time with Brooklyn as he spent seven of his 10 seasons with the organization and had his best years with the team through different iterations of the roster. After coming into the league as the 33rd pick (second round) of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014 NBA Draft, Harris spent two seasons with the franchise before signing with the Nets as a free-agent in the summer of 2016.

Harris was a solid contributor for the Nets as the team was looking to find its way following the franchise’s rebuilding attempt after moving on from general manager Billy King and players like Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. After Brooklyn signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the summer of 2019, Harris was still one of the more important players on the team as his three-point shooting was key to spacing the floor for the two superstars.

Harris retires from the NBA with career averages of 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 47.9% from the field and 43.6% from three-point land. Harris has made the most three-pointers (984) in Nets franchise history and is second three-point shooting percentage (44.0%).

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Nets full schedule to be released on Thursday at 3 PM ET

The Brooklyn Nets’ full schedule will be released on Thursday as part of the annual event for all 30 NBA teams, per the league on Tuesday.

The Brooklyn Nets are less than two months away from beginning training camp in preparation for the 2024-25 season in which they’ll begin the first year of their current rebuild. The NBA has not released the full schedule for the season yet, but Nets fans can rejoice in the fact that that will change soon.

On Tuesday, the NBA announced the schedule for the In-Season Tournament, officially called the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup, and that slate of games should be exciting for fans to see. However, in the league’s press release, it also mentioned that they will be releasing the full schedule for all 30 teams on Thursday.

The schedule will be released at 3 PM ET on ESPN’s NBA Today, similar to what happened on Tuesday when the NBA rolled out the schedule throughout the hour and talked about various important matchups. As of the writing of this article, the Nets know who they will be playing during the preseason and who they will facing off against as part of the NBA Cup.

Not much fundamentally changes with the release of the schedule, but this time of years gets NBA fans excited for when the season begins in late September. For Nets fans, Thursday will be the beginning of when they can plan out which games are winnable and which games will be part of the growing pains for their rebuilding Brooklyn franchise.

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