NEW YORK -- In the blink of an eye, a once-clear path to the NBA Finals for the Brooklyn Nets just met an immovable object.
The Milwaukee Bucks have beaten the Nets to the super team punch. In acquiring both Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic in a pair of Monday trades, the Bucks have fortified their front line around reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and his All-Star counterpart Khris Middleton.
The deal gives Antetokounmpo the best supporting cast of his career, reaffirming Milwaukee's belief it can both retain him and win big with their star in tow.
Nets players knew this offseason would be a hectic one, ever since Kyrie Irving decreed it was "glaring" the roster needed "one piece or two more pieces" to compete for a championship.
Wholesale changes were expected. No one has been safe.
But what happens when that change never happens? When players know the only reason they're still on the team is because the team couldn't execute on a trade? Could they bounce back after dangling all their nonsuperstar players in a trade that ultimately may not happen?
That is on the table, and it's part of the reason why the Nets must move Heaven and Earth to make a deal for James Harden.
Harden's interest in joining Brooklyn is reciprocated by both Durant and Irving, but the Nets and Rockets have only recently begun discussing the idea of a trade, and neither are particularly enthralled.
The Nets can offer Houston all of their draft picks -- including No. 19 in tonight's NBA Draft -- and all of their young players, headlined by Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jarrett Allen. The Rockets easily have two better trade scenarios on the table: one that pries Ben Simmons from the Sixers, another that still sends Harden to the Sixers but nets Golden State's No. 2 overall pick in tonight's draft, as well as a host of young players and future draft assets Brooklyn simply can't match.
An Adrian Wojnarowski report likened Harden's attempt to get to Brooklyn to Anthony Davis successfully forcing a deal to the Lakers. Davis' power play worked because he only had one year left on his contract, wielding the threat of leaving any other team for the Lakers in free agency.
Now might be a good time to remind you: Harden is under contract for another three years worth $133 million and just turned down an additional two more years worth $103 million that the Rockets offered him recently. He has no leverage. Neither do the Nets.
Here's who's sitting pretty: The Bucks and the Rockets, not to mention the Celtics and Heat, who played in the conference finals less than two months ago. The Nets need more than what they have to beat a lineup of Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Holiday, Bogdanovic and Brook Lopez.
If they don't get Harden, the Nets just betrayed the trust of the core pieces they need to take a step forward if they hope to compete for a championship.
Even without a Harden trade, the Nets are still a dangerous Eastern Conference team boasting two of the greatest scorers to ever play the game. Their roster as-is ranks near the top of the league in terms of depth -- but it's clear Durant and Irving value additional star power over strength in numbers.
The Bucks' trades just put the Nets on the clock. If Brooklyn and Houston can't agree to a deal, the time begins ticking to explore Plan B.
B doesn't stand for Bradley Beal; all indications point toward the Wizards trying to make their All-Star backcourt work at least one more season.
The next best player available may be Victor Oladipo, who reportedly said "Can I come play with y'all?" to opponents during games.
The pendulum of Eastern Conference dominance that had swung so far in Brooklyn's direction just swung full force Midwest toward Wisconsin. So much for those bets that were placed on the Nets to win a championship in 2021.