The Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers can’t help but find themselves in the same place in NBA headlines. At the start of the offseason, Brooklyn was heavily linked to a potential trade for Donovan Mitchell. Darius Garland was also mentioned as a potential target. Then, Cleveland hired former Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson as its main man. Once Mikal Bridges was traded and Brooklyn’s rebuild began, the Mitchell rumors faded, sparking renewed interest in Cavs forward Isaac Okoro. No deal ever came to fruition between the two franchises.
Atkinson returns to Brooklyn on Feb. 20 for the first time since resigning before the NBA shut down due to COVID-19, equipped with two former Nets in his rotation and two more on his staff. The 57-year-old coach has Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert, along with DeMarre Carroll and Jordan Ott as assistant coaches.
Allen and LeVert were known to be the members of James Harden’s 2021 contract. Carroll spent two years in Brooklyn from 2017-19, and Ott was the Nets’ top assistant from 2016-22.
The midseason game will be a homecoming for many key members of the revamped Cavaliers as they look to take down the revamped Nets. The storylines are numerous and could lead to many tribute videos to those who have made great contributions to Brooklyn over the years.
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