The Brooklyn Nets are definitely a championship contender. They have two former MVPs in Kevin Durant and James Harden. Kyrie Irving is an All-NBA performer, and they have solid players like Joe Harris and DeAndre Jordan. Their roster is one of the best in the league, and they are looking to make the NBA Finals.
Recently, the Brooklyn Nets signed Andre Roberson, in order to bolster their depth. At his peak, Roberson was an elite wing defender. One couldn’t help but notice that Roberson was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, playing with Kevin Durant during his tenure. With his signing, ClutchPoints made a post highlighting the fact that another former member of the Oklahoma City Thunder has joined the reunion in Brooklyn.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLYDIa9Dcmx
The graphic shows 5 former Oklahoma City Thunder players that have all eventually made their way to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The two prominent superstars, Kevin Durant and James Harden were two prominent faces that once played together in Oklahoma, prior to Harden’s trade to the Rockets. Jeff Green last played with the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2011-2011 season and knows both Durant and Harden. Andre Roberson was the best defender on the team during the Westbrook-Durant duo years. It is likely a simple coincidence, but the Brooklyn Nets have assembled a solid group of former Thunder players.
The Oklahoma City Thunder could go even further, and sign more former Thunder players to increase their championship chances. Perhaps Kendrick Perkins could un-retire, and maybe Russell Westbrook gets bought out at some point by the struggling Washington Wizards. The prospect of either of those happening is minuscule and is mostly a joke. However, no-one would deny that it would be fun for the 2011-2012 Thunder team that made the Finals to possibly reunite and make the NBA Finals.
This isn’t the first time where a lot of players that formerly played with one team all join another team. A lot of role players that formerly played with the Cleveland Cavaliers ended up joining the Lakers during their recent championship season in 2020. J. R. Smith was notably part of LeBron James’ multiple Finals runs with the Cavaliers, while Danny Green and Dion Waiters both played with LeBron James at some point in their respective careers. Signing familiar role players was obviously a good move for the Lakers, so perhaps it could work out for the Nets as well.
It would be fun to see James Harden and Kevin Durant lead a group that includes a lot of former Oklahoma City Thunder players to a championship. Hopefully, they can succeed in their goal and win a ring despite the fact that it eluded them during their time in Oklahoma.
