The Brooklyn Nets ushered in one of the most thrilling chapters in their history during the 2019 NBA offseason with the acquisition of Kevin Durant. While any team would have eagerly pursued Durant, the long-term view on the signing has been less favorable.
Bleacher Report recently revisited some of the NBA’s major signings from the past five years and re-evaluated the Nets’ move to bring in Durant, downgrading it from a B to a C. This revision reflects how the deal has aged now that both Durant and the Nets are no longer together.
Dan Favale of B/R noted, “Hindsight doesn’t paint a rosy picture for this era of Nets basketball. It ended poorly, marked by significant changes. Harden requested a trade in 2021, Kyrie left before the 2023 deadline, and Durant followed.” Favale emphasized that while it’s important to view Durant’s signing alongside Kyrie Irving’s, which occurred in the same offseason, it was the combination of these moves that significantly impacted the team.
“Durant’s arrival led Brooklyn to forfeit considerable future assets,” Favale added. “However, this signing didn’t completely derail the franchise but rather made things more complicated.” For context, Bleacher Report initially graded the signing with a B the following year.
Durant’s signing marked the beginning of an exciting new era for Brooklyn, a period that many fans enjoyed due to the high expectations for a championship. However, given the less-than-stellar results from this superstar phase, it’s difficult to view the signing as anything more than an average move in retrospect.
