Mikal Bridges (left) and Cam Johnson will be counted on heavily in 2023-24 as the Nets take a new approach.

Key additions

• F Noah Clowney, F Dariq Whitehead

Key subtractions

• G Seth Curry, G Joe Harris, G Patty Mills

Last season

Finally, the Great Experiment bottomed out and came to a loud, crashing splat. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving — who were supposed to elevate the Nets to contender status and grab the basketball attention of all New Yorkers when they arrived three-plus years ago — were gone by midseason. 

They left behind broken dreams and promises and, to be fair, most of that was caused by injuries to both during their time with the Nets. Irving wore out his welcome because of his unpredictable ways. The franchise, after running out of patience, happily sent him to Dallas. And it was only a matter of time when Durant, who initially asked for a trade in 2022, was gone, too.

In both deals, the Nets made out OK. Dallas gave them Dorian Finney-Smith, a solid swingman, and Spencer Dinwiddie, who played well for the Nets in his previous time in Brooklyn. But the big haul came from Phoenix for Durant: Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, a good pair of young wings who instantly made an impact.

Bridges in particular was borderline brilliant at both ends. In his new role as first option, he showed great potential and averaged 26.1 points per game in 27 games with Brooklyn. Johnson also played better offensively in Brooklyn, bumping his scoring average from 13.9 ppg with Phoenix to 16.6 ppg with Brooklyn.

The Nets recovered better than expected. Still, this is a rebuild, just with new players.

Summer summary

All was quiet, for a change, with a team that’s trying to distance itself from a starry yet stormy past. Instead of bringing in big names with big egos, the Nets went to the Draft. Instead of building around superstars, the Nets dumped those supporting pieces that were no longer needed.

Yes, the summer proved that it’s a new day in Brooklyn (if anyone still wasn’t convinced).

All @BrooklynNets, all day 🍿 pic.twitter.com/WeFac37o5R

— NBA TV (@NBATV) September 18, 2023

The most meaningful decision involved Johnson, an important part of the Nets’ rejuvenation. He signed a reported four-year, $108 million deal, which is rather rich for a player who’s still on a learning curve. But, it is in step with where the Nets are and where they’re trying to go.

Nets GM Sean Marks said re-signing Johnson was the top priority, and really, at that price, there was no way Johnson would’ve refused. Besides, he and Bridges aren’t high maintenance like the players of the recent past.

In a related move, the Nets dropped Curry, Harris and Mills. All three had outlived their use and were obsolete with the team’s new direction. They were supporting cast members of the last regime, and besides, all three are past their prime.

With a pair of late first-round picks, the Nets grabbed a pair of versatile forwards in Whitehead and Clowney. Both project to be bottom-of-the-rotation fillers for now because the Nets are deep at those positions.

And then there’s the move that never happened, probably to the annoyance of Nets fans: Ben Simmons is still around. 

In a perfect world, Simmons would’ve been jettisoned this summer and a regretful era would’ve come to a refreshing end. But in the real world, he doesn’t have significant trade value. In fact, some would say he has none and to trade Simmons, the Nets would’ve had to take back a bad contract. In these situations, it’s probably best to hold tight, hope Simmons gets healthy and returns to the form he had in his first few seasons in the NBA, then reassess his future in Brooklyn.

In a year that saw Durant and Irving move on, Simmons stayed. This wasn’t what the Nets had in mind, but this was their new, though not improved, reality.

Up next: Atlanta Hawks | Previously: New York Knicks

> 30 teams in 30 days: Complete schedule

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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