Why the Brooklyn Nets are the Biggest Losers of the 2023-24 Season

From being a team that had Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and a set of promising players, it does seem that the Brooklyn Nets almost had it all. From being a team that had the best set of stars and nearly made it to the Conference Finals, the Nets surely threw all their chances out of the window, which just shows how much work they really need to do to make the most of the offseason.

State of the Team: Where do the Brooklyn Nets Stand?

As it stands, the Brooklyn Nets didn’t enjoy much of a big campaign in the previous years. Kyrie Irving dealt with injuries at the time, James Harden struggled to stay in and out of the rotation with injuries as well, and perhaps the biggest of them all – Kevin Durant shooting two instead of a three against the Milwaukee Bucks, which proved to be a huge twist in their chances of winning an NBA title back in the day. The team then later blew up in a flurry of trades, sending away their three stars one by one and later ending up with just a mix of role players instead.

Brooklyn Nets big 3 image

The last five years have been filled with a lot of disappointment, having four first-round exits and a lone trip to the semi-finals where they lost to the Bucks in seven games. The team has not eclipsed past 50 wins in a long while now, and it seems that the offseason is their only chance to make some improvements in their games and come up with a promising dash in the postseason to mark their improvements.

Why the Nets are the Biggest Losers of the 2023-24 Season?

So why are the Nets seen as big losers in the 2023-24 season? Well after coming up with a losing record in their games, it does seem that the Nets are ending the season with no playoff berth, not a lot of assets to consider as well. Their poor performances in the past few months have proven to be a tough stretch, and no one can deny that Brooklyn still needs to work out on their hopes of becoming a better team that can win big in their games.

So what makes them the big losers in the 2023-24 NBA Season?

No Star Breakouts

Mikal Bridges is the only player close to a star in the Nets' roster image

We have seen the Nets come up with a lot of talent in exchange for their talented stars back then. From having Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Dorian Finney-Smith, Dennis Schroder, and Nic Claxton, it does seem that the team has an assortment of backup and role players who are keen to make the most of their chances in a team that is stacked with young players as well. Still, no stars have seen the dawn of light in Brooklyn this season. The closest thing you get to a star is just Mikal Bridges, who is averaging 19.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. The other names we mentioned? I think it is safe to say that there’s no one going to be a rising star for the team in a while.

It is also safe to say that Cam Thomas is also a scorer but he’s not really much of a consistent player who can come up with promising performances that you would want to rely on night in and night out. This just shows that the Nets have a flurry of key players but still need to work together to come up with a promising run in their games. Just look at how they ended up to finish the 2023-24 season.

No Trade Assets to Maximize

When it comes to trade assets, you risk losing the entirety of your roster if you are going to bring in a star for the Nets. Not all of them have big contracts ahead, and this just means that there are more expectations for them to actually risk the rest of their squad if they are going to bring in a talent who can come up with such impressive boost to their chances of winning. For sure, the starting five of Johnson, Bridges, Finney-Smith, Schroder, and Claxton are all going to be non-negotiable assets in the squad. This leaves them with Dennis Smith Jr., Lonnie Walker IV, Cam Thomas, and even Keita Bates-Diop. These are considered to be massive assets with the right deal.

The Nets have zero trade assets image

This usually comes with the different assets to consider, such as cash consideration, or even future draft picks. This means that the Nets will be in for a sacrificial throw if they are going to come up with a star addition, or even a promising prospect who can fill in their needs.

No Draft Capital in the 2024 NBA Draft

Draft capital is always a promising game to consider in the NBA. Along with other players in the game, you can also try and trade for the likes of draft assets, which come in handy for a team that is trying to score a rebuild through the lottery.

Current Nets roster have no draft capital to use image

After all, what could go wrong in drafting a set of young players that can help you come up with a lot of promising wins in the game soon. However, the Nets have no draft capital that they can use to make the best out of their games. They don’t have any draft picks in the coming 2024 NBA Draft, which means they are definitely locked for their next run without any incoming rookies unless they can get them through trade. The biggest pick they can make the most of is the Suns’ unprotected first-round pick in 2025, which means that they will have to wait a year to at least get a draft pick going. However, their biggest assets will be available in 2027 and in 2029, which are all going to be their landmark years should they get their chances.

Should You Bet On the Brooklyn Nets in the Next Season?

The Brooklyn Nets will definitely be expected to be a tanking team in the coming 2024-25 season. However, their tanking next season would be irrelevant as they don’t have their own pick for the coming year. This is why there’s no hope for the team to be impressive like other contenders, unless they manage to become an elite team in the Eastern Conference that is starting to become competitive now more than ever.

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