Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant sent a message to the league when they both joined the Brooklyn Nets as free agents in the summer of 2019. While KD was known to be out with an Achilles’ injury, the hope was that the team can make a run at a title when he gets back in the 2020-21 season.
Last season was also probably their best chance to win, as they lost a brutal seven-game series against eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks and have been swept by the Boston Celtics this season. However, it looks like the two players that started this journey will continue it next season.
After the Nets’ season ended in Game 4 of the first round, Kyrie announced his intention to re-sign with the team in the off-season and continue building the franchise alongside KD, Joe Tsai (team owner), and Sean Marks (GM).
Kyrie says he plans to re-sign with the Nets: "When I say I'm here with Kev, I think that really entails us managing this franchise together alongside Joe and Sean."
— Scott Cacciola (@ScottCacciola) April 26, 2022
Irving and Durant are two of the most gifted offensive players in the NBA. If the Nets can put the right pieces around them, the team is bound to do better. The roster construction this season was extremely underwhelming and even the trade to add Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond didn’t help elevate the team.
With Simmons hopefully playing from the start of next season, the team already has a major piece to integrate. While Simmons has his offensive challenges, he was a DPOY candidate the last time we saw him play a full season. Joe Harris coming back should give the Nets some versatility on the perimeter as well.
Kyrie implying his role in the franchise is equivalent to the owners’ or the GMs’ is a little bold. However, they won’t make roster decisions without consulting their stars anyway, so it is best for them to establish a partnership going forward. The team can return to contention next season, and Irving announcing he will re-sign is the first step in ensuring a strong team for next season.
