LeBron James (left), Dwyane Wade (middle) and Chris Bosh (right), of the Miami Heat in 2010. They would go on to lead the Heat to 4 consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2011–2014, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.
A Superteam or Big 3 in the National Basketball Association (NBA) is a franchise whose roster typically has three or more Hall of Fame caliber players that are in their prime. A more conservative form would be 'All-Star' or All-NBA level players who have recently or are currently still chosen to represent the best of the Eastern and Western Conferences as All-Star players or were voted in as part of the All-NBA team at the end of every season. The first superteam was ushered in when LeBron James decided to join his fellow draft-class players, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, at the Miami Heat at the end of the 2009–10 season.
The three were named "The Big 3" known as "The Heatles" and would establish their dominance by making it to the NBA Finals for all of the four years that they were together, winning back-to-back titles in the 2012 NBA Finals and the 2013 NBA Finals. James had joined the Heat as a back-to-back MVP winner and equal six-time All-Star with Dwyane Wade, whilst Chris Bosh had been a four-time All-Star.
Due to this, many other superteams have been formed/drafted since then in order to secure a championship. The second superteam that was formed was again led by LeBron James when he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers to play with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love from 2014 to 2017. The most successful and prominent superteam since Miami Heat's formation was the Golden State Warriors team from 2016 to 2019. This team included four perennial All-Stars in Stephen Curry (also 2-time MVP, and first unanimous MVP winner), Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant. At the start of the 2018–19 season, the Warriors then signed All-Star DeMarcus Cousins from the New Orleans Pelicans in free agency and was the first NBA franchise in 42 years (since the 1975–76 Boston Celtics) to start five players that had been All-Stars the previous season.
Although superteams are mostly thought of as a fairly new concept, some have tried to apply the term to teams of the past, prior to the 2000's, due to the multiple players considered "superstars" or "stars" at the time, that were on the team. However, some refute this by claiming that the stars on these teams were past their prime and teamed up as a last ditched effort to try to win a championship, such as the 2007–2012 Boston Celtics. Teams that feature multiple stars that were drafted by the team they play on, do not meet the "super team" criteria in many people's eyes.
Superteams of the NBA[]
1956–1969: Bill Russell's Celtics[]
After winning 11 championships in 13 years, the Boston Celtics of the late 50s and 60s were regarded as an NBA super team, serving as a guidepost for potential future dynasties. Led by 5-time MVP Bill Russell, these Celtics won an NBA record 8 consecutive championships.
Prior to the 1976 settlement of Robertson v. National Basketball Association, free agency did not exist in the NBA. As a result, Russell and his teammates were acquired through NBA drafts and trades. John Havlicek was drafted by the Celtics in 1962, Tom Heinsohn was drafted by the Celtics in 1956, and Sam Jones was drafted by the Celtics in 1957. Bob Cousy was not acquired by the Celtics in the 1950 NBA draft, but was instead taken in the Chicago Stags dispersal draft. Others, like Bill Sharman and Bailey Howell, were traded for by the Celtics. Even Russell himself was acquired in a draft-day trade.
2010-2014: LeBron James and Chris Bosh join Dwyane Wade[]
After the 2009–10 season had concluded, LeBron James was in free agency and had free choice to choose which team he would play for next. He had just come off one of his highest-accumulating statistic production of his career, had been voted an All-Star six times and had won back-to-back MVP awards with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although there was much speculation and hype surrounding James and his choice, it was kept hidden for many weeks until he announced his plans on a live television broadcast via ESPN that would be called "The Decision". He had chosen to join the Miami Heat where his fellow draft-class member and good friend, Dwyane Wade was.
Wade had already had proven himself a superstar with the Miami Heat where he had won the NBA Championship in the 2005–06 season as well as winning the Finals MVP. Other achievements also include being a 6-time All-Star, 5-time All-NBA, the NBA Scoring Champion in the previous season before James joined the Heat, and the 2010 All-Star MVP. Chris Bosh, another member of the same draft-class, would also come to join James and Wade where he had just been a 4-time All-Star and the franchise's all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks, and minutes played when he had left the Toronto Raptors. The three would join together and make 4-straight NBA Finals appearances, with the first one coming the very season that they banded together. They lost the 2011 NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks before winning two straight over the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012 and the San Antonio Spurs in 2013, respectively, and becoming the first Eastern Conference team to win back-to-back titles since the Chicago Bulls of the late 1990s. During this time, they had dominated much of the NBA and the Eastern Conference only to have a rematch with the Spurs in the 2014 Finals, in which they had lost in five games due to injuries by Wade and Bosh and a few other players.
Following their loss, LeBron was once again in free agency and had left the Heat to return to his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers and thus ending the run of the Miami "Big 3". During their time together, James had won back-to-back MVP and Finals MVP (2012 and 2013) as well as all 3 members being voted as an All-Star for every season that they were together. The 'Three' would also make NBA history with such feats as accumulating 27 straight victories between February 1 to March 27 of the 2012–13 season, the second-longest regular season winning streak in NBA history, as well as being only the second time that three teammates had each scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a regulation match, which was last set over 50 years prior.
Many other players and franchises would follow in the footprints of LeBron James and join other Superstar-caliber players to form their own Superteam in a quest to win an NBA Championship and challenge the Miami Heat Superteam. However, it would be LeBron James who would disband it and form the next 'Big 3' in the league.
2014–2018: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors[]
LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love coming together had marked the end of the Miami 'Big 3' and the start of the Cleveland 'Big 3'. They would lead the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship in 2016.
After the 2014 Finals loss, LeBron went back into free agency, ending his stint with the Miami Heat, as he decided to head back to his hometown team (the Cleveland Cavaliers) to once again form another 'Big 3' to compete for the title. Cleveland had already had Kyrie Irving on their roster who was drafted by the Cavaliers in 2011 (taken 1st overall). Before James joined the Cavaliers, Irving had already won Rookie-of-the-Year in 2012, was a two-time All-Star (and All-Star MVP in 2014) as well as being the youngest player in NBA history to score at least 40 points at Madison Square Garden. Joining them via trade would be Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves to complete the new LeBron James' 'Big 3'. Love had finished the previous season with his best production since joining the league with career high-averages in points and assists as well as making the All-Star game in 2012. In his 6-year stint with the Wolves, he had also recorded the longest streak of 'Double-Doubles' (double figure in two of either points, rebounds, assists, blocks or steals) at 52 in a row as well as the first player since Moses Malone in 1982 to record a 30 points and 30 rebounds night in a regulation game. With the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs respective Big 3's nearing retirement, LeBron sought to secure a string of easy championships with the Cavaliers just as he attempted to do with the Miami Heat. With Cleveland's acquisition of Kevin Love, who was considered one of the best power forwards in the league, Kyrie Irving, a perennial All-Star and 'future superstar', LeBron James had formed the second 'Big 3' in NBA history that had instantly made the Cleveland Cavaliers a title favorite.
The Warriors signed all-star Kevin Durant during the 2016 offseason. A big 4 of Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green was formed, and the Warriors were heavily favored by many to win the 2017, 2018, and 2019 NBA titles, winning the first two.
During the same season that James had returned to the Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors had an emerging team, as well, that would later become the dynasty that would dominate the league and establish itself as another Super team with the addition of Kevin Durant. Although James' team was built through trades and Free Agency, the Warriors would build their team through the draft and development to obtain the core that would come to challenge the Cavaliers for the best team in the league and the Championship. This "homegrown" method of team building "from the ground up", essentially, is said to disqualify the Golden State Warriors from the "super team" criteria. The Warriors had drafted Stephen Curry as the No. 7 pick in 2009, Klay Thompson as the No. 11 pick in 2011 and Draymond Green as the No. 35 pick in 2012 to form the nucleus of this team while adding Andrew Bogut (former No. 1 draft pick in 2005) and Andre Iguodala to their roster to complete the core players that would ultimately challenge for the title in the 2014–15 season. Although the Warriors would eventually be noted as a Super team, during this season, their core players had yet to make an All-Star or All-NBA team except for Stephen Curry (All-NBA and All-Star in 2013) and Andre Iguodala (All-Star in 2012). The Warriors finally broke through during the 2014–15 campaign when they completed the regular season with the No. 1 seed with 67 wins out of 82 games and would make it through as the winners of the Western Conference to face LeBron James's Cavaliers (the Eastern Conference champions) in the NBA Finals.
The young Warriors team would win the Finals over the Cavaliers in six games and bring home the NBA Championship to Oakland for the first time in 40 years (last won in 1975). This would firmly establish the Warriors as a great team as their core players won a multitude of awards in their breakthrough season, along with competing for multiple others: Stephen Curry (MVP, All-Star selection, All-NBA First team), Klay Thompson (All-Star Selection, All-NBA team, tenth in MVP voting), Draymond Green (All-Defensive team selection, the runner up for the Defensive Player of the Year award) and Andre Iguodala (2015 Finals MVP). Cleveland's 'Big 3' had won accolades, as well, that further bolstered their claim as a legitimate Super team despite losing the Finals: Kyrie Irving (All-Star Selection, All-NBA Third team) and LeBron James (All-Star Selection, All-NBA First team). Following the 2015 Finals, these two teams would dominate their respective conferences the next year and have a rematch in the Finals.
The Warriors had started the 2015–16 season by breaking the opening number of wins (at 24, before losing on December 12 to the Milwaukee Bucks) as well as a number of other NBA records by the end of the season. These include the most road wins in a season (at 34), most consecutive number of home wins (at 54) and most important of all, the best regular season record at 73–9, which slightly edged the record held by the Michael Jordan-led Bulls in 1995-96 when they had a 72–10 regular season record. The Cleveland Cavaliers had topped the Eastern Conference and would again make it to the NBA Finals after sweeping the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks and defeating the Toronto Raptors 4–2. The Warriors would also make it to the Finals, but en-route they would face some problems in the Western Conference Finals where they found themselves down 3–1 in the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder after having beat the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers in the previous rounds. The Warriors would go onto win the series and once again face the Cavs for the NBA title which would ultimately end with the Eastern team coming back from a 3–1 deficit and become the first team to win the title from that position. Again, a number of accolades were awarded to players of both teams and further enhancing their status as superstars. Both teams' key players were selected into the All-Star match. Stephen Curry became the first-ever unanimous MVP, LeBron James won Finals MVP in the series and Draymond Green joined both LeBron and Curry as part of the All-NBA teams.
That following off-season (before the 2016–17 campaign), the Warriors made a move to re-assert their spot as the most dominant franchise in the league by acquiring Kevin Durant when he became a free agent. Durant had been a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder and was part of the team that had the edge over the Warriors (3–1 lead) in the Western Conference Finals, but unfortunately lost their lead and missed out on returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. Durant joined the Warriors highly decorated and arguably as one of the best players in the league with a resume that consisted of an MVP (in 2014), five-time NBA Scoring Champion, seven-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA which was said to have had put a highly talented Warriors team into a league of their own. The Warriors were now heavy favorites among some to win the NBA Championship in the 2016–17 season and take back the title from their Superteam rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some in the media, however, such as Shannon Sharpe and Nick Wright, still strongly believed that the Warriors - even with the addition of Kevin Durant - were no match for the Cavaliers. Much like the past two seasons, the Warriors and the Cavaliers made it through their respective conferences and met again in the Finals.
On the way to reaching the playoffs, the Warriors had matched or broken several NBA records. With the addition of Kevin Durant to a rather successful Warriors team, they would again reclaiming top seed overall with a 67 win regular season along with breaking the most games won by a 40-point margin or higher, and extending their run of most games without back-to-back losses in the regular season to 146 (stretching from 9 April 2015 to 2 March 2017). When the postseason came around, again the Warriors showed their Superteam strength by breaking the record for best start to the postseason (at 15–0), longest win streak in the playoffs (15) and best ever postseason record (16–1), whilst the Cavaliers made a strong run of their own by entering the Finals with only one loss from all of their series (entered the Finals at 12–1) before eventually relinquishing the title to the Warriors in a 4–1 series loss. The season ended with more accolades spread between the two teams including the Warriors having four players elected into the All-Star match (Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson) which tied an NBA record, as well as the Cavs having their "Big 3" also included (LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love). All-NBA selections were also given to Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, LeBron James and Kevin Durant who also won the Finals MVP thus further supporting the claim that of the two teams, Kevin Durant had tipped the balance in favor of the Warriors.
Although both the Warriors and Cavaliers would remain favorites in their respective conferences, there was another shift in the Superteams when starting point-guard and member of the Cleveland's 'Big 3', the Cavaliers traded Irving to the Boston Celtics in August for Boston Celtics' own starting point-guard, Isaiah Thomas, who was injured at the time of the trade. Although Thomas had won an All-NBA selection the previous season, he was not seen as the same caliber of player as Kyrie Irving nor was there as much hype for the new 'Big 3' where eventually Thomas would struggle to come back from his injury and would be subsequently traded. This left the Cavaliers to still be led by LeBron James who had still managed to help his team make it through the Eastern Conference to the Finals albeit with a more troubled path than usual with near loses in series to the Indiana Pacers (4–3 series win) in the First Round and the Boston Celtics (4–3 series win) in the Eastern Conference Finals and only finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Warriors also did not finish atop of the Western Conference (2nd in the West) and also had difficulty winning the Western Conference Finals over the Houston Rockets with only a slim 4–3 series win. Despite this, the Warriors finished the regular season with 58 wins and had cemented themselves as the team with the most regular season victories over a three-year span and would continue to write themselves into NBA records when they swept the Finals' series over the Cleveland Cavaliers (4–0) to take a second-straight title and win three of the four finals matches with their essential 'Super team' counterpart.
Kevin Durant would again win the Finals MVP and make the All-NBA team, alongside LeBron James and Stephen Curry. While the two teams had battled for the previous 4-straight Finals (an NBA first), it would mark the end of their rivalry when James joined the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year deal after he became a free agent. Note: the starting players of the Golden State Warriors (Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson) were also known as the "Hampton 5" or the "Death Lineup".
2018–2019 season: Warriors form an 'All-Star' team[]
The Warriors signed all-star DeMarcus Cousins during the 2018 offseason. With this signing, the Warriors became the first team since the 1975–76 Boston Celtics to start five players that had been All-Stars the previous season.
As in 2016 when the Warriors signed Kevin Durant in free agency, the Warriors had reaffirmed their place as a "super team" cast when they signed DeMarcus Cousins as a free agent from the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2018 off-season. Although he was injured when he joined the Warriors, he was still considered a dominant 'big man' with great skill and defensive tenacity which won him two All-NBA selections and been a four-time All-Star representative prior to the signing. He had joined a super team cast and the Golden State Warriors would be the first franchise in 42 years to be able to start five All-Star representatives (having all been All-Stars the previous year), one in each of the traditional basketball positions. It would be almost a year after his injury when Cousins would finally take the floor when the Warriors faced the Los Angeles Clippers on January 19, 2019, that the Warriors would be able to start all five perennial All-Stars in a game.
Pre-modern NBA: Great teams[]
1960s–1970s[]
During the Celtics' dynastic run in the 1960s, their most formidable foe included Wilt Chamberlain, who was individually the most dominant offensive force of his era. Despite his individual talents, an NBA championship eluded Chamberlain through the first seven seasons of his career. In 1965, Chamberlain was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, joining perennial all-star Hal Greer. Future Hall of Famer Billy Cunningham joined the team the next season, and in 1967, the trio led the Sixers to the NBA championship, defeating the San Francisco Warriors in six games.
After the 1968 season, Chamberlain was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he also joined a star-studded team featuring Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. The trio failed to win a championship together, however, losing to the Celtics in the 1969 Finals, and to the New York Knicks in the 1970 Finals. Baylor would retire early in the 1971–72 season, but that coincided with the beginning of the Lakers' 33-game winning streak, culminating in a championship for the franchise, winning the 1972 Finals over the Knicks in five games.
The New York Knicks also boasted its own superteam, with Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley and Dave DeBusschere as its stars. That group captured the 1970 championship. Later on, the Knicks added Earl Monroe and Jerry Lucas who helped them win the 1973 championship. Also during the 1970s, the Milwaukee Bucks traded for perennial all-star Oscar Robertson before the 1971 season, joining rising superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. That team went on to win its first championship in franchise history, sweeping the Baltimore Bullets in the 1971 Finals in four games.
1980s–1990s[]
Magic Johnson encapsulated the "Showtime Lakers" that was, for the most part, a homegrown dynasty of the West during the 1980s.
In the 1980s, the Los Angeles Lakers had a formidable team in the Showtime Lakers that boasted stars Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (five-time MVP, nine-time All-Star and All-NBA), Magic Johnson, and James Worthy, whom combined won 23 All-Star and 14 All-NBA selections, three MVPs, and five Finals MVPs in the decade. The team won five NBA championships, eight conference championships, and developed a culture of Hollywood glamour and entertaining basketball.
They also had a dynasty rivalry with the Boston Celtics, whom won three NBA championship rings in the '80s. Boston featured all-time greats Larry Bird (nine All-Stars, three MVPs, 10 All-NBA and two Finals MVP), Robert Parish (seven All-Stars, two All-NBA), Kevin McHale (five All-Star, two All-NBA), and Dennis Johnson (five All-Star, two All-NBA and one Finals MVP). Other Hall of Famers who won championships with the Celtics during the Bird era included Nate Archibald, a former perennial All-Star point guard for the Kansas City Kings, and Bill Walton, a former All-Star and Finals MVP with the Portland Trail Blazers, where led them to their first NBA championship in 1977. In Bird's rookie season (1980) he also had Hall of Famers Dave Cowens and Pete Maravich as teammates, though that group did not win a championship. The Celtics won the 1981, 1984, and 1986 championships, the second of which came against the Lakers. They also lost the Finals in 1985 and 1987, both to the Lakers. The '86 championship team, featuring Bird, McHale, Parish, Johnson and Walton, became the first of only two teams to win 40 home games in a regular season, and is considered the greatest team in franchise history.
Another notable team in that era were the Philadelphia 76ers of Julius Erving and Moses Malone. In the summer of 1982, the Sixers acquired Malone from the Houston Rockets, adding a formidable interior presence the team lacked after losing the 1980 and 1982 Finals against the Showtime Lakers. Alongside fellow All-Stars Maurice Cheeks and Bobby Jones, the '83 Sixers won 67 games, and only lost one playoff game en route to a championship, sweeping the Lakers in the 1983 Finals. The Sixers later drafted Charles Barkley in the famous 1984 draft, but Barkley only emerged as a superstar after both Malone and Erving left the club.
The Chicago Bulls of the 1990s won six NBA championships, but they boasted a "Big Three" for only 3 years. After Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen helped the Bulls win championships from 1991–93, the addition of former All-Star and perennial rebounding champion Dennis Rodman in the 1995 off-season made the Bulls even more dominant. The trio helped the Bulls win another championship three-peat from 1996–98, off of regular season win totals of 72 (a then-record), 69, and 62.
Notes:
- All All-NBA and All-Star stats were at the time of the team being formed. Does not show total appearances in their career.
- Included the teams that have won an NBA championship
Failed superteams[]
Houston Rockets (1996–1999)[]
The Houston Rockets won the 1994 and 1995 championships, but in an attempt to capture a third ring added Charles Barkley in the 1996 off-season. Barkley joined a talented yet aging squad with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. The group won 57 games in 1997 but came within two games of reaching the NBA Finals, losing to the Utah Jazz with All-Stars John Stockton and Karl Malone. The Rockets won only 41 games the next season, but once again fell to the Jazz again in the playoffs, but in the first round. After Drexler retired, the Rockets acquired Scottie Pippen from the Chicago Bulls, who were in the midst of dismantling their dynasty following their sixth NBA championship. The trio of Olajuwon, Barkley and Pippen went 31-19 in a lockout-shortened 1998–99 season, but it ended in a first-round exit to the Los Angeles Lakers. Pippen was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers amid a long-standing feud with Barkley, and Barkley retired during the 1999–00 season after he ruptured his left quadriceps tendon.
Los Angeles Lakers (2003–2004, 2012–2013, 2021–2023)[]
The Los Angeles Lakers of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant won three NBA championships from 2000–02, but after losing the second round in 2003 to the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in six games that ended their hopes of a fourth consecutive championship, acquired All-Star veterans Karl Malone and Gary Payton in hopes of a fourth championship in five seasons. Despite winning 56 games in the 2004 season, the Lakers could not avoid much controversy both on and off the court, such as the sexual assault case with Bryant, and the simmering feud between him and O'Neal. Malone, then aged 40, also suffered major injuries for the first time in his career. The Lakers reached the NBA Finals, but lost to the Detroit Pistons in five games. In the off-season, both Malone and Payton left the team, and O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. O'Neal and Payton, along with Dwyane Wade, went on to win the 2006 championship with the Heat.
The Lakers also formed another superteam in the 2012 off-season, acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard to join Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Bryant and Gasol had led the Lakers to the 2009 and 2010 championships, but with both stars in their 30s, their window of contention was slowly closing. This Lakers team suffered through a coaching change (they replaced Mike Brown with Mike D'Antoni), injuries to Nash and Howard, Howard's conflicts with teammates, and the death of their longtime owner Jerry Buss the day after the 2013 NBA All-Star Game. The Lakers made the playoffs off a 45-win campaign, but an Achilles injury to Bryant at the end of the regular season doomed the team, which resulted in them getting swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Howard then joined James Harden in Houston as a free agent, while Nash retired after the 2014 season. The Lakers would fall into a state of decline after that season, and would not make the playoffs again until 2020. In 2019, Howard rejoined the Lakers, now featuring LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and won a championship as a role player off the bench, in which the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals in six games to win their 17th NBA championship.
In 2021, the Lakers added Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony to join holdovers LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, this Lakers team featured a quartet of all-stars aged 30 or older; James and Anthony were both 37, Howard was 36, and Westbrook was 33. They proceeded to win only 33 games (the least number of wins on a James-lead team), not only missing the playoffs, but also the play-in tournament for seventh to tenth-placed teams. Westbrook struggled to click due to poor shooting and defense, and both James and Davis failed to remain healthy throughout the season due to various injuries. During the 2023 trade deadline the Lakers traded Westbrook, Kendrick Nunn, and Patrick Beverley in exchange for D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley, ending the superteam after one and a half seasons as the Lakers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies and defending champion Golden State Warriors each in six games to reach the Conference Finals despite 0–5 and 2–10 starts.
Brooklyn Nets (2021–2023)[]
Near the start of the 2020–21 season, on January 13, 2021, the Brooklyn Nets traded for James Harden in a blockbuster four-team trade, which reunited Harden with his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant, and also gave him All-Star Kyrie Irving to form a new superteam in the East. This team also held other players that were considered All-Stars at one point as well, like Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and LaMarcus Aldridge. However, this team struggled due to various injuries to Durant, Harden, and Irving, and were eliminated by the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 in overtime of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, partially due to a potential series-winning shot late in the fourth quarter by Durant being a long two-pointer instead of a three-pointer with the toe area being on the three-point line during Game 7. Harden was ultimately traded to the 76ers in the following season for a package headlined by All-Star Ben Simmons. Other former All-Star players also joined with the Nets during that season, like Paul Millsap, Goran Dragić, and Andre Drummond, as well as LaMarcus Aldridge returning to the team after a brief retirement in the previous season due to health concerns. With Simmons sitting out of the season due to struggles with mental health, the Irving and Durant led team finished 7th in the conference, surviving the play-in tournament against the Cavaliers before being swept by the eventual Conference champion Celtics in the first round. In February 2023, Irving requested a trade from the Nets and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Following Irving's trade to the Mavericks, Durant was subsequently traded to the Phoenix Suns, thus ending the Nets' superteam run.
Controversies[]
There have been some controversies about the new 'Superteam' era that has been brought into the NBA. Claims persist that superstar players are no longer looking to make the game competitive, but rather finding an easier way to attain an NBA Championship Ring and nullifying other contenders by joining with other superstars. From James' decision to the Miami Heat and Durant joining the all-time winning-est team in NBA history in the Golden State Warriors, there was derision from the media and fans in their choice to take an 'easy way' to the Finals and unbalance the NBA. However, there have been cases for both sides as others argue that the NBA still has its highest TV grossing revenue and that it was all done under the rules of the salary cap and that it's rather some entertainment in sports that should be enjoyed. Recent efforts made in the 2023–24 season to punish teams that look to assemble long-term superteams have been implemented under newly established salary cap rules and limitations at hand.