"KD, Harden, Kyrie - Never got off the ground!" - Nick Wright on how Brooklyn Nets jeopardized long-term future over the trio which won only won 1 playoff series
Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright launched a scathing attack on the Brooklyn Nets following their failed attempt to win a championship with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving as the team's three leading stars. The Nets traded Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers on the trade deadline in exchange for Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, and Seth Curry, along with draft picks.
Thank you for everything, @JHarden13 https://t.co/KJm506kcw8
They acquired Harden just over a year ago during the 2020-21 NBA season from the Houston Rockets in a sensational four-team trade deal. Nick Wright was never a fan of Brooklyn going all-in on trading for Harden and labeled their attempt to win a championship with him a "historic failure" on the recent episode of First Things First, saying:
"It's obviously a massive, historic failure," said Wright. "I told you this wouldn't work, I told you they (Brooklyn Nets) were trading Harden, I told you, 'scary hours' were all a myth. I told you that tearing down a culture you had built to service Kyrie Irving's ego was one of the most baffling decisions I have ever seen in sports. I told you, KD, Harden, and Kyrie, forget winning a title, they would never make a conference finals, and it has come and gone, and they didn't."
Wright continued:
"Good news for Steve Nash, in this regard, he is now no longer part of the most disappointing big three ever, in Kobe, Nash and Dwight. It's now second place to this one because KD, Harden, Kyrie - never got off the ground!"
Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden played only 16 games together during their tenure as teammates with the Brooklyn Nets. Much was expected of them ever since the Nets signed Harden, but they failed to achieve postseason success last campaign and will not be competing in the playoffs alongside each other this year.
Nick Wright calls out Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks for jeopardizing the franchise's future to make a trade for James Harden
The Brooklyn Nets seem to be in a decent position right now as they managed to get some quality assets in return for James Harden. However, the investment they made in acquiring the former Rockets superstar included multiple draft picks that could have helped them shape their future well.
In some ways, this was similar to the Brooklyn Nets trading for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in 2013 and mortgaging their future by including draft capital that led to their downfall over the next few years. Nick Wright didn't hesitate in calling out the Nets' current front office for repeating the same mistake, this time in their bid to add James Harden last year. Here's what Wright said:
"Somehow, Sean Marks has made the same mistake Bobby Marks and others did, which is mortgage their entire long-term future for an experiment that never got off the ground."
The Brooklyn Nets moved key pieces like Caris LeVert and Jarret Allen in the deal to sign James Harden, along with four unprotected first-round picks (Brooklyn 2022, 2024 and 2026, Milwaukee 2022), and four unprotected first-round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025, 2027).
Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving only played 16 games together. They went 13-3. https://t.co/jIzNo6PAHO
The Brooklyn Nets have managed to add some decent talent with Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond and Seth Curry to their roster following the Harden trade, though. That also includes two first-round picks. It will be interesting to see if this move can help them remain a contender for long, with Kevin Durant tied to a long-term deal with the franchise.