Nets' Uncertain Future Favorable For Rockets Rebuilding Project
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HOUSTON — Thursday night, Brooklyn will have the basketball world's attention by welcoming 60 prospects who will enter the NBA during the 2022 NBA Draft. Each player drafted will have their name called inside the Barclays Center. But the franchise that currently calls Brooklyn home could seize the most attention.
The Brooklyn Nets, who constructed a super team 15 months ago by acquiring James Harden from the Houston Rockets, are on the verge of imploding.
Kyrie Irving, who can become an unrestricted free agent in July, cannot reach an agreement on a new contract with Brooklyn. The disconnect between the two parties has resulted in Irving giving the Nets a list of teams where he would like a trade — as first reported by ESPN.
Should the Nets trade Irving, former league MVP Kevin Durant will likely request a trade of his own.
The Nets could lose two former MVPs and one of the league's most explosive point guards in four months and plummet towards basketball purgatory next season. And the most significant winner in the Nets' debacle are the Rockets.
"You have to remember in my first four years, I did not know what a draft pick was," Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said when speaking to the media on Tuesday." "When you look at Boston [Celtics] and Golden State [Warriors] those are teams that are great because those are players who were drafted.
"Sometimes, bad things have to happen in order for you to be great. And when you look at the past of this franchise, the Rockets were always great after the draft picks they had."
The Rockets currently own the Nets' first-round picks in 2024 and 2026. Houston also holds the rights to a first-round pick swap in 2023, 2025 and 2027 — which could be the most vital draft selections acquired in the deal that sent Harden to Brooklyn in 2021.
Despite finishing with the league's worst record for two consecutive seasons, the Rockets remain fully committed to rebuilding through the draft. And the Nets' chaotic situation could boost Houston's return to relevancy.
Irving's destination list includes the Clippers, Heat, Knicks, Lakers, Mavericks and 76ers.
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