Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets decided to finally end his drama once and for all. Instead of all of these trade rumors, he is going to commit to the Brooklyn Nets for the long term and still has four years remaining on this contract.
Kobe “Bean” Bryant did this back in 2007 when he requested a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason, but committed to them long-term though. With Kevin Durant back, the Brooklyn Nets will be one of the favorites betting-wise to win it all next season. If people don’t want to spend money on that, they’ll bet on the best online casino. What does this mean for the Brooklyn Nets moving forward?
Championship Aspirations
The Brooklyn Nets will now have championship aspirations once again this season with the return of Kevin Durant though. He is one of the best players in the world and Durant might be the best offensive player in the NBA. They will have high expectations once again.
For the past two seasons, they have fallen short of the ultimate goal though. In 2021, they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in a Game 7 on their own home floor after blowing a 2-0 series lead as the number two seed. In 2022, they were the seventh seed and were swept away against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
The last two teams the Brooklyn Nets were eliminated by went to the NBA Finals. There is talent to get them to where they want to be, but they have to play together and play very good defensively also though.
What the Roster Will Look Like
The Brooklyn Nets already have a solid roster in place and they probably won’t make many moves now since training camp is right around the corner whether you want to believe it or not though.
For this season, the potential starting lineup could be: C Nic Claxton, PF Kevin Durant, SF Ben Simmons, SG Seth Curry, and PG Kyrie Irving. This is an elite offensive lineup for head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks, but they don’t have much of a defensive presence. Claxton will be the rim protector.
This team might be able to score 115.0 PPG, but they might also give up 114.0 PPG. Some of the key players off the bench for the Brooklyn Nets this season could be: PF Royce O’Neal, PF/SF Blake Griffin, PG/SG Patty Mills, SF/SG Joe Harris, F Kessler Edwards, and G Cam Thomas. Steve Nash has received tons of criticism in the past in how he has managed the rotation of this basketball team.
Steve Nash Might Be On the Hot Seat
Kevin Durant wanted head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks gone when he spoke with owner Joe Tsai just a couple of weeks ago. Durant basically said to management to choose me or them. At the end of the day, Kevin Durant decided to return, but the relationship between him and Steve Nash must be fixed.
Steve Nash knows he has to win many games and get the rotations right. If the Brooklyn Nets get off to a slow start this season, he is going to be the downfall guy and he will get canned if Brooklyn starts off slow in the first 20-30 games of the regular season. The Nets can’t be that low in the Eastern Conference Standings next season.
Brooklyn needs to be one of the top teams in the NBA next season and they need to act like it also. Steve Nash needs to know when to sit some guys and also use some key players off the bench. If the relationship between Steve Nash and Kevin Durant can be healed, that is a good thing.
Kevin Durant Is Committed For the Long Haul
Kevin Durant has four years remaining on his contract and he wants to most likely finish his NBA career with them as well. Durant needs to show leadership online, offline, on the basketball, and off the basketball court.
