Who the Nets Gave Up in Their Biggest Deadline Deal

The Brooklyn Nets have traded many superstars at the trade deadline over the years.

The biggest trade the franchise made all but closed their championship window and sent the team into a rebuild that could take many years.

In February 2023, the Nets did the unthinkable and traded Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, four first-round draft picks, and a 2028 pick swap.

The Nets later flipped Bridges to the New York Knicks for five first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap and Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick.

These trades have given the Nets plenty of ammo to draft and develop young talent and acquire a superstar via a trade, but trading Durant itself ends any hope of instant gratification.

The Nets' trade with the Suns ended months of drama and speculation, as Durant had first requested a trade in June 2022.

Kyrie Irving was also facing an uncertain future with his childhood favorite team, with the Nets and Irving's agency struggling to reach an agreement on a new contract.

Durant and Irving originally agreed to run it back in Brooklyn, and it appeared the Nets were back on pace to becoming a legitimate championship contender following a stretch in which they won 21 games in 25 tries.

However, Durant suffered an MCL sprain and Irving later requested a trade after failed contract negotiations, effectively ending the Nets' championship hopes.

Durant's time in Brooklyn can largely be characterized as underwhelming, if not disappointing, but his arrival put the Nets on the map and gave a franchise that has been used to being overlooked hope.

The Nets had to wait roughly a year and a half before they got to see their shiny new acquisition go to work after he suffered an Achilles tear during the 2019 NBA Finals.

In between that time, the world went through a global pandemic, and Durant's first game in Brooklyn came without a single fan in the stands.

Durant later recruited James Harden to help form a Big 3 in Brooklyn, resulting in one of the most powerful rosters assembled in recent memory, if not ever.

However, Durant's first healthy season in Brooklyn ended in heartbreak, as his shoe was just big enough to force his toe onto the line of what would've been a game-winning 3-point shot attempt.