In the summer of 2019, the Nets signed superstar scorers Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, while the Knicks modestly signed Julius Randle.
Five years later, the Knicks own home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, while the Nets missed the Play-In Tournament altogether as the 11th seed in the East.
How did one franchise fall so drastically from grace while another finds itself in championship contention without the splashy free agent acquisitions?
A look back at the moves both the Knicks and Nets made since the fateful 2019 summer.
SUMMER 2019
KNICKS
- Drafted RJ Barrett (#3)
- Signed Randle (3 years, $62M), Bobby Portis ($1 year, $15M), Taj Gibson, Marcus Morris, Wayne Ellington, Reggie Bullock
NETS
- Traded D’Angelo Russell and Treveon Graham to Golden State for Kevin Durant, signed Durant (4 years, $164.2M), Kyrie Irving (4 years, $136.5M), DeAndre Jordan (4 years, $40M), Garrett Temple, Wilson Chandler, David Nwaba.
- Signed Caris LeVert to three-year, $52.5M extension
For the Knicks, the Barrett selection was solid in hindsight. Of the players selected after Barrett, only one (Cleveland’s Darius Garland) has earned an All-Star nod.
For the Nets, this was a swing for the fences, a natural response to the news two of the most skilled players in NBA history wanted to win a championship for their franchise. The Nets traded for Durant knowing he would miss the entire season after rupturing his Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals.
DECEMBER 2019
KNICKS
- Fired head coach David Fizdale, named Mike Miller interim coach
The Knicks fired Fizdale at the conclusion of an eight-game losing streak. The Knicks were a conference-worst 4-18, tied for the worst record through 22 games in franchise history.
MARCH 2020
NETS
- Fired head coach Kenny Atkinson
The Nets fired Atkinson, who amassed a 118-190 record over four seasons in Brooklyn. Atkinson did not have the ear of a veteran locker room led by superstars who had previously won a championship elsewhere.
SUMMER 2020
KNICKS
- Hired head coach Tom Thibodeau
- Drafted Obi Toppin 8th overall in 2020 NBA Draft
- Traded 2021 first-round pick to Timberwolves for 2020 pick No. 25 (Immanuel Quickley)
NETS
- Hired head coach Steve Nash
- Traded pick No. 19 (Saddiq Bey) and Dzanan Musa in exchange for Bruce Brown and Landry Shamet
- Re-signed Joe Harris: 4 years, $75M
The Knicks ushered in a new era of accountability and a workman-like culture in hiring Thibodeau, while the inevitable became very clear early on in Brooklyn: Nash was in over his head coaching a championship-caliber Nets team.
The Knicks whiffed on the Toppin pick: Notable NBA players such as Devin Vassell (11), Tyrese Haliburton (12), Aaron Nesmith (14), Cole Anthony (15), Isaiah Stewart (16), Saddiq Bey (19), Precious Achiuwa (20), Tyrese Maxey (21), Zeke Nnaji (22), Payton Pritchard (26), Jaden McDaniels (28) and Desmond Bane (30) were selected after Toppin.
The Knicks eventually dealt the athletic forward to the Indiana Pacers for a pair of second-round picks.
The Knicks, however, won the trade with the Timberwolves, acquiring Quickley for a pick the Wolves ultimately used on Leandro Bolmaro, who never panned out as an NBA player.
The Nets signed Harris to a long-term contract extension, but a mixture of playoff struggles and an ankle injury wrecked his value. The Nets also opted against re-signing Brown.
JANUARY – MARCH 2021
NETS
- Traded for James Harden
- Signed LaMarcus Aldridge
The Nets went all-in on star power, trading LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs and four first-round picks to land Harden in a deal with the Houston Rockets. The Nets were unstoppable in games the Big 3 of Durant, Irving and Harden played together. The trio only played in 16 games, amassing a 13-3 record.
SUMMER 2021
KNICKS
- Traded #21 Keon Johnson to Clippers for #25 Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick
- Traded #32 Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to Thunder for #34 Rokas Jokubaitis and #36 Miles McBride
- Drafted #58 Jericho Sims
- Extended Randle: 4 years, $117M
- Signed Kemba Walker, Nerlens Noel, Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose
NETS
- Drafted #27 Cam Thomas, #44 Kessler Edwards
- Traded Shamet for Jevon Carter and #29 Day’Ron Sharpe
- Traded Spencer Dinwiddie to Wizards for two 2RPs
- Extended Durant (4 years, $194M)
- Traded Jordan with cash and four second-round picks to Pistons in cap dump
The Knicks turned two end-of-the-rotation players (K. Johnson, J. Robinson-Earl) into a starter in Grimes and a budding two-way threat in McBride. Sims was an elite find with the third-to-last pick in the draft. Randle has outplayed his $117M contract and is now a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA member since signing his original contract in New York. The Walker deal was a mistake worth making. Fournier had a good run, as did Rose.
The Nets struck gold with Thomas at pick No. 27 but have struggled to maximize his full potential as an explosive yet undersized scoring guard. They got Durant to sign an extension but failed to reach an agreement with both Irving and Harden. Brooklyn ultimately got off of the awful $40 million deal handed to Jordan but it cost them second-round draft capital. They did good by Dinwiddie through a sign-and-trade to the Wizards.
The Nets, however, couldn’t have foreseen the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, which rocked New York City sports harder than any other market. The city imposed a vaccine mandate on professional athletes, and the second-most important player for the franchise was unwilling to compromise his personal beliefs for the greater good of the team.
SEPTEMBER 2021
- New York City imposes vaccine mandate on pro athletes
- Irving declines vaccine
- Nets rule Irving ineligible to play in road games
NYC vaccine mandate restricted Irving from playing at Barclays Center. The Nets made the controversial decision to render Irving (unvaccinated) both ineligible to play in road games and practice at home. Irving missed the first 35 games of the 2021-22 season. Nets reinstate Irving for Jan. 5, 2022 matchup against Indiana Pacers amid league-wide COVID-19 outbreak. Nets fine Irving for each home game missed.
FEBRUARY 2022
NETS
- Nets trade Harden to 76ers for Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, one first and two second-round picks
- Simmons (mental health/back) plays zero games for remainder of season
Harden grew disgruntled with Nets management and Irving’s availability patterns and deployed both on- and off-court tactics in an attempt to force a trade. With Harden’s unrestricted free agency looming, the Nets fold and trade Harden to the 76ers for Simmons.
To this point, Simmons hadn’t played a game in the 2021-22 season, citing mental health issues and a lower back injury as his reason for not playing. He continued to cite those issues after his arrival in Brooklyn and never played a game following his trade to the Nets.
Harden has since forced a trade from Philadelphia to the Los Angeles Clippers. Simmons’ availability patterns have not improved much.
SUMMER 2022
KNICKS
- Signed Jalen Brunson (4 years, $104M), Mitchell Robinson (4 years, $60M) and Isaiah Hartenstein (2 years, $16M)
- Traded #11 Ousmane Dieng and Walker to OKC for three protected first-round picks, including Buck’s 2025 first
- Traded Alec Burks and Noel to Pistons in salary dump
- Extended Barrett (4 years, $120M)
NETS
- Durant requests a trade
- Simmons undergoes back surgery
- Traded 2023 first-round pick to Jazz for Royce O’Neale
- Re-signed Nick Claxton (2 years, $17.25M)
A home run offseason for the Knicks, who signed Brunson for what has turned out to be an under-market-value deal for a guard who has ascended to All-Star and All-NBA status. The Knicks formed one of the best center tandems in basketball pairing Robinson and Hartenstein and extended Barrett, whose new contract became the focal point of a massive trade in 2023.
Meanwhile, things reached a new low in Brooklyn with Durant requesting a trade from the Nets. Simmons underwent a minor procedure on his lower back, and the Nets attempted to continue building a contender by acquiring a playoff piece in three-and-D wing O’Neale. The Claxton deal was good value, too.
NOVEMBER 2022
NETS
- Fired head coach Nash, promoted Jacque Vaughn
- Suspended Irving eight games for posting antisemitic materials on his social media page
After he disregarded COVID-19 policies, opted against getting a COVID-19 vaccine and tanked the Nets 2021-22 season, Irving posted the link to an antisemitic movie on both his Instagram and Twitter feeds, a move eliciting immediate and widespread ire.
The Nets also made a coaching change, moving on from Nash and promoting Vaughn, who helped turn a lost season around after seven early games.
FEBRUARY 2023
KNICKS
- Traded for Josh Hart
Nets
- Traded Irving to the Dallas Mavericks for Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick and a pair of second-round picks
- Traded Durant to the Phoenix Suns for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, four first-round picks and a pick swap
The Knicks immediately went on a nine-game winning streak after the Hart trade, while the Nets were forced to start from scratch, building around Bridges, who went on to average 26.9 points per game after his arrival in Brooklyn. Bridges began to look like a foundational piece for the Nets, and he took his game to another level in the FIBA World Cup. The Nets ripped the bandaid off and restocked their draft asset cupboard.
MARCH – APRIL 2023
KNICKS
- Randle (ankle) misses final five games of regular season
NETS
- Simmons (back) ruled out for season: 42 GP, 6.9 PTS, 6.1 AST, 6.3 REB, 1.3 STL, 26.3 MPG
Even with a limited Randle, the Knicks steamrolled the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the East playoffs before meeting the Miami Heat, who won in six games in the second round. The new-look Nets stumbled into the playoffs and were swept out of the first round by none other than the 76ers.
SUMMER 2023
KNICKS
- Traded Toppin to Pacers for two 2nd round picks
- Signed Donte DiVincenzo: 4 years, $47M
- Extended Hart: 4 years, $81M
NETS
- Drafted #21 Noah Clowney, #22 Dariq Whitehead, #51 Jalen Wilson
- Re-signed restricted free agent Johnson: 4 years, $94.5M
- Traded Harris and two second-round picks to Pistons in salary dump
- Signed Dennis Smith Jr., Lonnie Walker IV, Trendon Watford
The Toppin deal closes the chapter on a bad draft pick, selling low to the Pacers for a pair of second-round picks. The Knicks quickly made things right by signing DiVincenzo and extending Hart. Both are having career years this season.
The Nets took a swing both on Clowney, a modern-day four who can space the floor and protect the rim, and Clowney, who came off a pair of foot surgeries entering the draft. They signed Johnson to an extension, but the forward has not lived up to the payday in Year 1.
DECEMBER 2023
KNICKS
- Traded Barrett and Quickley to Toronto for OG Anunoby and Achiuwa
- Extended McBride: 3 years, $13M
- Robinson (stress fracture) undergoes left ankle surgery
NETS
- Bridges’ stock plummets
The Knicks immediately rattle off 12 wins in 14 games after acquiring Anunoby, who emerges as a championship-level piece. McBride also emerges as a dogged defender and reliable three-point shooter. Knicks lose their starting center for more than three months.
Meanwhile, Bridges folds as the No. 1 scoring option in Brooklyn. He is averaging 18.8 points per game since Jan. 1 and 15.9 points since the All-Star break.
JANUARY 2024
KNICKS
- Randle dislocates shoulder
- Anunoby needs elbow surgery
Randle dislocated his shoulder in a Jan. 27 matchup against the Miami Heat, also the last game Anunoby played before undergoing surgery on his right elbow. Randle is ultimately ruled out for the season and undergoes elbow surgery in April.
FEBRUARY 2024
KNICKS
- Traded Grimes, Fournier, Ryan Arcidiacono, Malachi Flynn and two second-round picks to Pistons for Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic
NETS
- Traded Dinwiddie to Raptors for Dennis Schroder and Thaddeus Young
- Traded O’Neale to Suns for three second-round picks, Keita Bates-Diop and Jordan Goodwin
- Fired head coach Vaughn, Kevin Ollie named interim coach
Knicks add quality playoff depth with Bogdanovic and Burks, while Nets begin to sell on the season. Ollie marks the fourth head coach since Durant and Irving joined Brooklyn. The Nets are expected to hire a new coach during the offseason.
MARCH 2024
KNICKS
- Robinson returns from surgery
NETS
- Simmons undergoes second back surgery in last three years
April 2024
- Anunoby returns from elbow surgery
The Knicks enter Sunday’s season finale against the Chicago Bulls tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the East’s second seed, doing so without Randle. The future has never looked brighter at Madison Square Garden, while things continue to look bleak at Barclays, where the Nets must find a new path forward.
