The Brooklyn Nets have been behind the New York Knicks for years in that city. The Nets were never able to get a lot of big free agents to go there recently and the Knicks always got the players in New York. Now that has changed. The Nets made a big splash in free agency while the Knicks not so much. Coming off a first-round exit, they wanted to get better and I’d say they well overachieved that goal. The Nets assembled their big three as they signed Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Jordan. The tides have turned in the state of New York and the Nets are on top.
Brooklyn Nets Have Assembled Their Big Three
The Nets went all out and signed three big-name players to their team. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant took little less money to sign De’Andre Jordan and over the next couple of years, it’s time to focus on winning a championship.
Kyrie Irving
The Brooklyn Nets have signed Kyrie Irving to a 4-year, $141M deal. He was the first player to commit to the Nets. Many people thought he would team up with Durant on the Knicks but they both teamed up on the other team in New York. Irving averaged 23.8 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists. Kyrie is known for his slick handles and moves and the Nets will welcome him with open arms.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant signed a 4-year, $164M deal to team up with Irving in Brooklyn. This was the biggest news on day one of free agency. Many people thought that he would go to the Knicks as well. The Knicks reportedly didn’t want to offer Durant that much money because he is coming off an Achilles injury. Durant averaged 26.0 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. That Achilles injury will sideline Durant for a while but once he comes back the Nets will be even better and be contenders for that championship.
DeAndre Jordan
DeAndre Jordan was the last of the big three to sign with the Nets. He signed a 4-year, $40M deal. Jordan played with the Knicks last season so that’s another loss for them. He averaged 11.0 points per game, 13.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. DeAndre Jordan can be explosive and with Irving and Durant feeding him, the Nets will be tough to stop.
Other Pieces
Aside from the big three, the Nets have some pretty good pieces. Spencer Dinwiddie was a serious candidate last season for the sixth man of the year award until he got injured. He can be a really good player in this league if he stays healthy and continues doing what he did last season. He will be a great player off the bench when Irving needs a rest.
Joe Harris had the best year of his career last year. He shot an impressive 47.4 percent from three and 50 percent overall from the field. He can slide into the starting role and will bring some much-needed shooting from a role player. Taurean Prince is 6’8 and a young 25 years old. He still has room to grow as he didn’t have a bad season at all for a player in his position. He averaged 13.5 points per game and shot 44 percent from the field. The Nets signed Garrett Temple as a pretty good depth piece when needed. Not just the starters but the bench players have to step up with Durant absent and they have the players to do it.
Championship Bound?
After getting these three players, their championship odds went up exponentially. According to some sports books, the Nets have the ninth-best odds to win the championship at +1600. Kevin Durant will be out most of the season if not all of the season with the Achilles injury so they might fall short next season but when he comes back you better believe the odds will be higher. This team has the players and depth to make a good run but there are still a lot of good teams out there. This Nets team is a powerhouse and the landscape of the NBA has just changed throughout the whole league.
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