The Brooklyn Nets built a superteam last season when they added James Harden to a roster that already boasted Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Obviously, with three superstars like that, the Nets were never going to have room for too many elite role players so they filled out their roster with veterans like Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Now, things didn’t quite work out for them thanks to injuries last season, but Brooklyn just made a major trade with Harden leaving the franchise in exchange for Ben Simmons and a couple of key pieces like Seth Curry and Andre Drummond. Not only does the fit with the Nets seem great when talking about Simmons, but it also gives them the chance to create a unique piece of NBA history.
If the Nets feature a starting five that has Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons along with Griffin and Aldridge, they would be fielding the highest-drafted starting five the league has ever seen in its history. All those players were drafted either 1st or 2nd overall in their respective drafts, with Simmons and Irving and Griffin all being former No. 1 overall picks.
The Nets could make NBA history 👀
(h/t Rumble2Man/Reddit) pic.twitter.com/CTQfvEOdwD
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 15, 2022
While Griffin and Aldridge in particular are far from their primes, it still shows the sheer amount of talent that Brooklyn has been able to attract to the franchise under the stewardship of GM Sean Marks. All these names on the starting lineup at one point would have been an almost unbeatable team, and even now, having them is what makes the Nets a championship contender.
For now, though, Brooklyn will be focused on getting Ben Simmons into shape to start playing basketball as soon as they can. The Nets have fallen into the play-in spots in the Eastern Conference and have an uphill battle ahead of them if they want to make a run at the NBA title this season after Durant returns.
