With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant both out for this NBA season, Brooklyn Nets are reportedly already making plans for the 2020/21. Reportedly, this includes trying to land a third star player by giving up some of their young talent.
The 2019/20 NBA season saw championship-contending teams abandoning the “Big Three” concept and reverting to having superstar duos surrounded by quality role players. Nets certainly fall in this category with Irving and Durant, but it looks like the team doesn’t believe this will be enough to get them to the top.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that Brooklyn has been exploring the market since the start of the year and wouldn’t mind parting with “some of their young talent to acquire a third star along Irving and Durant.” It is still unclear which players would be available, but Nets certainly don’t lack talent.
With Durant out and Irving being limited to just 20 games this season, players like Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, and Jarrett Allen stepped up big time for the Nets. Dinwiddie established himself as a borderline All-Star player, averaging 20.6 points per game while LeVert also took a huge jump by contributing with 17.7 points, 4.1 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game. Allen also continued to grow as a player and even pushed DeAndre Jordan out of the starting lineup.
While all three players have a bright future in the NBA, their timeline might not be aligned with the one of Irving and Durant. Having two bonafide superstars in their prime means Brooklyn needs to be in the win-now mode and do everything it takes to get to the next level. So, expect the Nets to look a bit different, and probably scarier, when the next NBA season tips off.
