The Brooklyn Nets are in an odd position, maybe even a unique one, in NBA history.
They are likely to make the playoffs with a starting lineup that didn’t play together till after two franchise-changing trades in February ... but are working with a cushion supplied by their dearly departed superstars. Still seven games above .500 — half what it was before Kevin Durant went down, the Nets are now the sixth seed, a game out of the seventh seed and the play-in tournament. It all matters.
Moreover, they don’t control any of their own firsts through 2028 .