Milwaukee Bucks: Ranking top East teams following key free agency deals
By Adam McGee
5. Brooklyn Nets
Speaking of Kyrie Irving, he will get a chance to work with a clean slate next season with the Brooklyn Nets, and for one year only, it will be his team.
As Kevin Durant spends next season on the sidelines rehabilitating his achilles, Irving will be the top dog in Brooklyn as he joins up with a Nets team that was already on an upward trajectory under Kenny Atkinson’s guidance.
As long as Irving doesn’t start offering up passive aggressive quotes about the Nets’ young players in the press, Brooklyn will have plenty of reason to believe their young talent could take a major jump in their own right next season.
Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert are most important in that regard, but Brooklyn’s depth will mean that Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Rodions Kurucs and the recently acquired Taurean Prince could all have big roles to play, while veteran free agent additions Garrett Temple and DeAndre Jordan are certain to feature too.
If the Nets can avoid any extended and damaging adjustment period while integrating Irving, they could have the potential to be closer to the top of the East than most expect next season. Irving certainly brings his own baggage at this point, but at the most basic level he represents a clear upgrade over D’Angelo Russell, and the Nets were already looking frisky with the now-Warrior running the point last season.