Losers of the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline: Brooklyn Nets Take the Cake With Fall of the Big 3

• The 2023 NBA trade deadline was one for the books with teams making blockbuster deals one after another
• The Brooklyn Nets stunned NBA fans with the departure of their two superstars in separate trades
• Denver and Memphis’ road to the NBA Finals suddenly became difficult with their Western rivals landing some new superstars

The 2023 NBA trade deadline has officially passed, and the verdict is in on which teams excelled and failed in their respective transactions.

The Brooklyn Nets started the season with aspirations of reaching the NBA Finals but those dreams have been dashed with the dismantling of the Big 3.

The Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets looked primed to square off in the Western Conference finals, but that matchup is now in jeopardy with the Suns suddenly turning into a juggernaut.

Let’s take a deep dive on why these three teams are the main losers of the trade deadline.

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Nets’ Big 3 era ends

Many listed the Nets as their title favorites before the start of the 2022-23 NBA season and rightfully so. Brooklyn possessed one of the most talented lineups in the league, with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons being labeled as the Nets’ new Big 3.

They failed to live up to those expectations, though, with Irving and Durant sent packing by the Nets before the trade deadline. Kyrie got the ball rolling last Friday when he handed in a trade request to Brooklyn.

Frustrated with all of Irving’s off-court drama, the Nets decided to trade the disgruntled star to the Dallas Mavericks. Days later, the team delivered another bombshell with the Nets shipping off Durant to the Phoenix Suns.

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It’s tough being a Nets fan nowadays. Just last season, Brooklyn’s starting lineup included Durant, Irving, and James Harden. All three players are now gone with the Nets suddenly becoming a rebuilding franchise.

Grizzlies and Nuggets in trouble?

The Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies are the top two teams in the Western Conference, but they ended up as losers in the trade deadline because of the moves other teams made.

Phoenix strengthened its lineup with the addition of Durant, making the Suns the league’s newest super team.

The Lakers also bolstered their squad, adding D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Mo Bamba to provide some help to new scoring king LeBron James.

The Nuggets and Grizzlies may have to contend against those teams come playoff time and it would be difficult to bet against KD, Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton in a seven-game series.

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Denver's only trade deadline move was acquiring center Thomas Bryant from the Lakers, according to CBS Sports. The Grizzlies, who have lost eight of their last 10 games, acquired Luke Kennard from the LA Clippers in a three-team deal.

Those moves are solid but not as impactful as the ones their Western rivals have just made.

Kyrie blasts Nets again

Sports Brief recently reported on Irving aiming a brutal jibe at the Nets following Durant’s transfer to the Suns. Kyrie said that he is just glad that Durant “got out of there.”

Irving and Durant won just one playoff series together during their time with the Nets. They shared the court just 74 times in Brooklyn, with injuries, COVID, and trade requests preventing the duo from unleashing their true potential.

A new challenge awaits them in the West, and we will all be watching their exploits in their respective new teams.