After years of trying to figure out how the KD-Kyrie marriage would work, the Brooklyn Nets’ ownership finally moved on from it at the recent trade deadline to lean toward the future. To be honest, this was an appropriate decision that should’ve been made earlier.
Although signs were tilting in the right direction, with the early-season success of Durant and the Nets, the inevitable volatility of Kyrie Irving’s mind was there again. The team was able to load off Irving via a trade that sent him to the Dallas Mavericks. It also prompted the team to ship Durant to a contending squad that would probably suit him better at this point of his career, which was the Phoenix Suns.
Currently, the Nets have regained draft equity and have young pieces to build around for the coming years. And with a team still filled with veterans, they could definitely toggle if they keep some of them or convert them into acquisitions that fit their philosophy.
But during the latter part of the regular season and the few games they had in the playoffs, Mikal Bridges emerged as having taken the leap to stardom. From an off-ball and defense-first guy with the Suns to a primary scoring option with the Nets
Now the underlying question for the Nets is: could Bridges be the face of the franchise moving forward? Did the flashes of brilliance in his short stint so far with the team be enough to hand the keys to him?
It’s what we are about to look at, and if the growth of Bridges as a player merits the tag as a first option for a rebuilding yet competitive squad.