Halfway through the new season, the Nets finally waited for news of Irving's return. According to NBA celebrity Shams, Irving is expected to make his season debut in an away game against the Pacers. Although he can only play in away games, this result is exciting enough compared to the previous all-round suspension, and Irving's return will more or less reduce the pressure on Harden and Durant, and will also enhance the overall strength of the Nets in away games. However, since Irving participated in the team training, the Nets' record has plummeted, and after losing to the Grizzlies today, the Nets have suffered three consecutive losses, and it seems that the Nets are building momentum for Irving's return.
This wave of three consecutive losses has not been a small blow to the Nets' record, and may have exceeded the significance of Irving's return. At present, the difference between the Nets and the Bulls is 2 games, both teams have experienced a difficult period of triggering safety agreements, and the next game the Nets will also play against the Bucks, according to the recent situation, I am afraid it is also more sinister. In this way, it is not difficult for the Nets to achieve a rebound in the next game. The Nets' recent game status has plummeted, and the reason is because of Irving's return. According to previous news, many players in the Nets have a rejection of Irving, and to some extent, Irving's return will affect the mood of the Nets locker room. Ever since the Nets announced Irving's return to practice, the Nets' state of affairs has begun to have problems, and panic is the most violent poison that affects a team.
In the last three games, the Nets' defense has plummeted, losing more than 110 points in each game, and durant's fifth-best defensive efficiency maintained during his absence suddenly disappeared. Durant is not a defensive black hole, and his return will not cause the Nets' defense to collapse. According to the Nets reporter, several Nets players expressed reluctance to play with Irving, and Irving's return affected the team's locker room stability. From the perspective of fans, Irving's return is indeed a great joy to celebrate, but from the perspective of the players themselves, Irving's return is indeed not something to be happy about. To put it bluntly, Irving is a privileged player above Harden and Durant in the Nets, the Nets have not fined him, so far this season, Irving has done whatever he wants, Harden and Durant have a friendship with Irving, and will not show emotions, but other role players are also understandable for Irving's behavior, which is a common human feeling. That's the main reason the Nets need to think through the re-recall of Irving.
From Irving's absence, up to Durant and Harden have evaluated Irving in front of the media, it can be seen that Irving's evaluation within the Nets has been much worse than before. The Nets' recall of Irving means that they will sacrifice the team's chemistry in exchange for the team's ceiling, or they have decided to trade and directly detonate the locker room at once and solve the problem at one time.
In an interview after today's game, Durant said: "We look forward to Irving's return, but the internal and personal problems of the team also need to be solved to make us strong. This sentence more or less implies that there is a problem within the team, or that the Nets' transaction has leaked out of the wind in advance, which has led to the full outbreak of locker room problems. The chances of the Nets making a trade before the trade deadline are not small, and even if Irving returns, it still does not solve all the Nets' problems, and if the Nets do not want to waste this season, then they can only choose to make a trade in the middle of the season. Brown and Harris will be the two most risky players, the former is the most tradeable player in the Nets at present, the most valuable player, and the latter is not as important as before, and the Nets will most likely not choose to renew their contract next summer, and trading now will be the best choice.
If the Nets don't choose to let Irving return, then the Nets can only force Durant and Harden to play, with a good ranking into the playoffs, but there is no advantage in the playoffs. The Nets choose to trade, presumably preferring players who can defend, perhaps the Pistons' Grant will be one of the protagonists, or it will be the Pacers' Turner. Whether traded or not, the nets' current situation is what Durant does not want to see, and hopes that the nets can properly solve it.