The Nets traded for James Harden on Jan. 14, 2021, more than one year ago.
Harden's acquisition was supposed to help formulate the Nets' own big three, their own superstar trio like the Heat and Warriors of years past. But since then, Harden has shared the floor with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in just 16 games, and currently, with Durant out, Brooklyn is sliding down the Eastern Conference standings.
After another loss while shorthanded on Wednesday night, Irving had to field more questions about what could be, rather than what is.
"I hate that I even have to answer that question," Irving said after the Nets loss to the Suns, their fifth straight defeat. "We think about it daily. It's not something that's shortsighted for us. We think about the long term and how we jell together as a trio. When we say as a trio, we're not excluding anybody else on the team, but we know that the energy runs through us."
Of course, some of Irving's frustration is self-inflicted, as he cannot play in any games in New York or Toronto due to his vaccination status, leaving many potential games for the three to play together off the table. But there have also been lingering hamstring injuries to Harden that lasted through last season shortly after he arrived in Brooklyn, and Irving went down with a series-ending injury against the Bucks in the postseason.
Together, they make up arguably the most talented trio, which has shown on the court in the rare events that they are on the floor together, with the Nets winning 13 of those 16 games, but with Durant out with an MCL injury, and Irving's vaccination status, the shorthanded Nets have struggled, going 6-11 since the calendar flipped to 2022.
"When we're flowing out there and we're playing, I think James said it last year, there's not a lot of teams out there that can be on the floor with us and can match up very well with us," Irving said. "That's just the confidence we have in one another when all three of us are healthy and playing at a high level."
Having all three healthy, or at least available, continues to be a challenge. It will likely be the deciding factor when it comes to Brooklyn's title hopes, as the Nets have gone from first to sixth in the standings, leaving Irving to only hope that the Big 3 can get together sooner than later and salvage the season.
"It's definitely on our wish list, man," Irving said. "We just have to stay patient and not lose confidence that things will come together at the right time."
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