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The Nets Wished Upon Stars. Their Dreams Haven’t Come True.

Adding Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant hasn’t led to a conference finals berth, much less a championship. After meeting Irving’s trade request, the Nets are once again in a state of uncertainty.

Kyrie Irving, left, and Kevin Durant played only 74 regular-season games together after joining the Nets before the 2019-20 N.B.A. season.Credit...Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports, via Reuters

Having superstar talent is the only surefire way to win a championship in the N.B.A. It has been nearly 20 years since a team won a championship without at least one superstar player, and usually it takes two.