Zach Kram
Multiple Authors
Kevin Durant‘s profession arc is plagued by what-ifs. What if the Portland Trail Blazers had chosen him first in the 2007 draft as an alternative of Greg Oden? What if the Seattle TremendousSonics hadn’t moved after Durant’s rookie season? What if the Oklahoma City Thunder hadn’t traded James Harden after making the Finals? What if Durant hadn’t signed with the 73-win Golden State Warriors? What if he hadn’t ruptured his Achilles in the 2019 Finals?
Durant hasn’t returned to the convention finals since that damage and his subsequent departure from Golden State. But he has continued to achieve milestones in the meantime: Earlier this season, the 37-year-old Durant handed Wilt Chamberlain and Dirk Nowitzki to move into sixth place on the profession scoring leaderboard, and fifth-place Michael Jordan is barely 158 points away.
There’s a further, newer what-if on the lengthy listing of hinge factors in Durant’s profession. Five years in the past this spring, trailing by two factors in Game 7 of the Brooklyn Nets‘ second-round collection towards the Milwaukee Bucks, Durant made a 23-foot turnaround jumper together with his foot on the 3-point line and one second left. Durant was taking part in with out injured teammate Kyrie Irving and was sharing the ground with a compromised Harden, who was dealing with a hamstring injury. Durant by no means rested in Game 7 and scored 48 factors. But after his jumper tied the rating, the Bucks won in overtime, en path to elevating the Larry O’Brien Trophy a month later.
But what if Durant’s foot hadn’t touched the line? What if he wore correctly sized sneakers as an alternative of going one size too big, and what if his turnaround had been value three factors and clinched a dramatic victory for Brooklyn?
In actuality, Durant, Harden and Irving performed solely two extra video games collectively as teammates. By Feb. 9, 2023, they have been no longer on the Nets.
In this alternate actuality, although, which I’m dubbing the Nets Championship Universe, or NCU for brief, Durant’s shot wins the sport, setting off a collection of ripple effects that change the course of not solely the Nets however the relaxation of the NBA. Here are the 17 wildest variations, in chronological order.
1. The Nets win the 2020-21 title
After surviving the ultimate second of Game 7 towards Milwaukee, the Nets transfer on to face a shocking convention finalist: the Atlanta Hawks, who, in reality, upset the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in their very own seven-game collection. The Nets are heavy favorites on this collection, as Atlanta was solely 41-31 (the equal of a 47-35 document in a full season) with a plus-2.2 internet ranking in 2020-21 — each weak marks for a possible finalist.
Brooklyn advances to face a better problem in the Finals. Led by the backcourt duo of Devin Booker and Chris Paul, the 2020-21 Phoenix Suns have been 51-21 (the equal of 58-24) and principally cruised by the Western Conference playoffs, albeit aided by accidents to opposing stars Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray and Kawhi Leonard.
Yet, Brooklyn was 2-0 towards Phoenix in the common season, despite the fact that the Suns have been at full power in each video games, and Harden, Irving and Durant missed one sport apiece. By the Finals, furthermore, Harden and Irving are more healthy than they have been in the second spherical towards the Bucks, giving the Nets the benefit. After six video games, Brooklyn wins the first NBA title in franchise historical past.
2. Durant and Harden cement their legacies
No gamers’ reputations change in the NCU greater than Durant’s and Harden’s. Debates have lengthy raged about how a lot credit score Durant ought to obtain for his two NBA titles and Finals MVP awards as a result of he joined a juggernaut in Golden State. But there isn’t any doubt that he deserves full plaudits for this title in Brooklyn, as he drags a star-studded however injury-ravaged crew to the promised land.
Durant additionally turns into solely the sixth participant in NBA historical past to obtain three Finals MVP awards, and he joins Leonard, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the solely gamers to be named Finals MVP on a number of groups.
And lastly, the Nets’ eventual title implies that Durant’s collection winner towards Milwaukee turns into one of the extra well-known pictures in NBA historical past. According to Basketball Reference, there have been solely two true buzzer-beaters in a winner-take-all playoff sport, and each are memorable: Leonard’s four-bouncer in 2019 and Michael Jordan’s shot over Craig Ehlo in 1989. Granted, Durant’s shot towards the Bucks got here with one second left, so it wasn’t a real buzzer-beater, however it’s darn shut.
Kawhi Leonard BOUNCES IN the sport 7 #TissotBuzzerBeater to ship the @Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals! #WeTheNorth
: GSW/TOR, Game 1
: 9:00pm/et – Thursday, 5/30
: ABC : Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/7ELt2ITmSv— NBA (@NBA) May 28, 2019
Harden, in the meantime, sheds his stigma as a playoff choker, not solely successful a title however gutting out a championship run regardless of a hamstring pressure that clearly limits his burst when he is in a position to play.
And to a lesser extent, the Nets’ triumph additionally serves as vindication for coach Steve Nash, who lastly wins the title that lengthy eluded him throughout his Hall of Fame taking part in profession.
In actuality, Nash and the Nets parted ways after simply 93 extra video games following Durant’s foot-on-the-line shot.
3. Team USA loses at the Olympics
The 2020-21 postseason prolonged by mid-July as a result of of COVID-induced schedule modifications, so it ran up towards the begin of the Summer Olympics, which have been delayed a 12 months because of the pandemic.
In actuality, Durant did not decide to play for Team USA till after the Nets’ elimination towards Milwaukee, whereas Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Booker shared a private plane ride to Tokyo shortly after the conclusion of the 2021 Finals to reach on time.
But in the NCU, Durant does not be a part of Booker on the flight to Japan. Instead, with such a fast turnaround after taking on a heavy playoff burden in his first season again from damage, Durant declines his Olympic invitation. This is a bruising blow for an American roster extra populated with sturdy function gamers than top-tier stars.
In actuality, Durant led Team USA in factors (20.7 per sport) and ranked second in rebounds (5.3) and assists (3.7). He was named tournament MVP after main all gamers with 29 factors in the gold medal sport. Even with that Durant efficiency, the Americans struggled to stave off France, which had already upset Team USA in group play, and received 87-82 to take residence the gold.
In the NCU, nevertheless, Durant is not in Tokyo to avoid wasting Team USA from catastrophe, and France wins its first gold medal in basketball. Center Rudy Gobert — the solely Frenchman to be named to the all-tournament crew in actuality — claims MVP honors.
In actuality, Gobert’s nationwide star fell thus far that he was benched at the 2024 Games in Paris. But on this alternate universe, he turns into a French nationwide hero.
4. Harden by no means requests a commerce out of Brooklyn
The real-life Nets by no means received a playoff collection after their Game 7 loss towards the Bucks. The 2021-22 season was a nightmare from the begin, with Irving lacking each residence sport as a result of he refused to comply with New York City’s vaccine necessities, and Harden pushing for a trade to Philadelphia.
But in the NCU, Harden does not bitter on taking part in for the defending champions. The Nets aren’t nice with no full-time Irving — in actuality, they have been solely 29-22 and in sixth place in the East when Harden performed his final sport for the crew — however they stick collectively till the playoffs.
This additionally implies that the funniest second in the short-lived historical past of the All-Star draft, when Durant refused to draft Harden after his commerce demand, as an more and more tickled LeBron James hid behind a clipboard and the “Inside the NBA” crew egged them on, by no means occurs.
“He got traded, he’s healthy now!”
LeBron James could not hold it collectively after Kevin Durant made Rudy Gobert his final decide over James Harden throughout the NBA All-Star draft pic.twitter.com/RLzjKb8K6N
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) February 11, 2022
Harden’s stability in Brooklyn is an issue for Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, who must discover a worthy commerce companion for Ben Simmons.
In actuality, Morey held out for an opportunity to reunite with the star guard he had first acquired in Houston; Harden ultimately angled for a commerce, and the Nets acquiesced to a Harden-for-Simmons swap.
That’s not an possibility in the NCU. Instead, Morey grudgingly accepts a proposal to commerce Simmons for a unique level guard: Tyrese Haliburton, who, based on up to date studies, had been out there in a potential Simmons deal.
So, the NCU’s ripple effects begin to widen past Brooklyn: Simmons heads to Sacramento, and the 76ers kind a younger backcourt duo of Tyreses, with Haliburton and Maxey.
6. The Bucks commerce for Myles Turner at the 2022 deadline
Two NCU strands weave collectively to provide a Turner commerce. First, the Bucks are determined to win with Giannis Antetokounmpo; they already blew a 2-0 lead in the convention finals in 2019 and misplaced as the No. 1 seed in the second spherical in 2020, and now they’ve misplaced to an injury-ravaged Nets squad in the second spherical in 2021. And they may actually use a middle, as Brook Lopez was restricted to 13 video games in the 2021-22 season as a result of of again surgical procedure.
Second, the Pacers nonetheless need to resolve their middle logjam, with no Haliburton-for-Domantas Sabonis swap out there as soon as Haliburton heads to Philadelphia. So, as an alternative of buying and selling Sabonis, the Pacers lastly pull the set off on a long-rumored Turner deal, and the stretch massive joins the Bucks three years earlier than he did in actuality.
But as a result of Middleton sprained his knee in the playoffs, Turner’s addition is not sufficient to push Milwaukee previous the surging Boston Celtics, who beat the Nets in the postseason (although not in a sweep, as they did in actuality) earlier than falling to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals, a consequence that does not change in the NCU. The Bucks fail in the playoffs but once more. Which results in …
7. The Knicks commerce for Antetokounmpo in July 2022
In the NCU, Antetokounmpo has had sufficient. The two-time MVP is now 27 years previous and wanting to win, however he nonetheless hasn’t reached the Finals, and Milwaukee, which has traded all its picks for Holiday and Turner in consecutive seasons, has no extra playing cards left to play. The time has come to commerce the NBA’s greatest star in his prime.
In a summer time of blockbusters — the Timberwolves (*17*), and the Cavaliers still trade for Donovan Mitchell in the NCU — the greatest includes Antetokounmpo, who heads to New York for a bundle headlined by Julius Randle, RJ Barrett and a boatload of picks.
In actuality, the Knicks used these belongings to amass OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, however New York combines them in the NCU for a participant who instantly turns into the Knicks’ brightest star in half a century.
Antetokounmpo has a documented interest in being traded to and taking part in for the Knicks, and upfront of the 2022-23 season, he joins new Knick Jalen Brunson and prepares to shine on the sport’s greatest stage.
8. The Lakers commerce for Irving
Fast-forward to the 2022-23 commerce deadline, and Irving additionally desires out. In actuality, a five-game suspension because of a controversial social media post and the lack of a contract extension from the Nets soured Irving on the group, and that sequence performs out in the NCU, as properly.
At the time in actuality, the Lakers have been in heavy pursuit of the star guard, reportedly providing two first-round picks and Russell Westbrook’s expiring contract for Irving. But the Nets requested “younger gamers equivalent to Austin Reaves and Max Christie and decide swaps” as properly, so the Lakers declined, and Brooklyn sent Irving to the Mavericks as an alternative.
But in the NCU, Irving’s commerce worth is increased as a result of he is a two-time champion, and the Lakers are keen to satisfy Brooklyn partway. They agree so as to add Christie to the deal, and Irving reunites with LeBron James on the Lakers somewhat than becoming a member of Luka Doncic in Dallas.
9. Westbrook, Durant and Harden reunite in Brooklyn
Meanwhile, on the different finish of the Irving blockbuster, Westbrook turns into a Net after a disastrous tenure in Los Angeles. And 11 years after the stunning commerce that moved Harden out of Oklahoma City, with the three former Thunder kids all now of their mid-30s, Westbrook, Durant and Harden reunite.
With Harden nonetheless on his crew, furthermore, Durant does not request a commerce as soon as Irving leaves, and he stays a Net by the finish of the season.
10. The 76ers attain the 2023 convention finals
By the 2023 postseason, the Eastern Conference panorama seems quite a bit totally different in the NCU than in actuality.
In actuality, the Bucks grabbed the No. 1 seed however suffered an upset loss to the Miami Heat, and the second-seeded Celtics escaped Harden, Joel Embiid and the third-seeded 76ers in the second spherical. Harden had moments of brilliance towards Boston, however in Games 6 and seven, he scored 22 mixed factors with 10 turnovers whereas capturing 7-for-27.
In the NCU, the bracket shakes out in a different way. Without Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee tumbles in the standings, so Boston lands the No. 1 seed, and Philadelphia finishes second. The Nets’ new massive 3 grabs the No. 3 seed, and the Knicks, who completed fifth in actuality, are No. 4 with Antetokounmpo. (Randle was excellent in 2022-23, nabbing a third-team All-NBA spot, whereas Antetokounmpo missed 19 video games as a result of of damage. Advanced stats estimate solely a small distinction of their worth in that common season.)
That bracket units up a scintillating second-round matchup between Philadelphia and Brooklyn, and Haliburton’s clutch gene — which he displayed with dramatic aptitude over the previous two real-life postseasons — helps Philadelphia advance. The Process reaches a brand new milestone as the 76ers advance to their first convention finals since 2001.
11. Nikola Jokic‘s Nuggets beat Antetokounmpo’s Knicks in the 2023 Finals
On the different facet of the Eastern Conference bracket, the Knicks and Antetokounmpo win in the first spherical, then upset the Celtics — who regarded rickety in the actual 2023 postseason, struggling to beat the 41-41 Hawks and 76ers earlier than dropping to the eighth-seeded Heat — to achieve their first convention finals since 2000.
It’s a matchup out of TV executives’ goals: New York vs. Philadelphia, a battle of two historic franchises craving for his or her first Finals journey in many years; and Antetokounmpo vs. Embiid, a matchup between two charismatic MVPs with no Finals look.
Antetokounmpo and the Knicks emerge victorious, organising one other MVP vs. MVP conflict in the Finals. But they can not win one other spherical. Jokic’s Denver Nuggets coasted by the real-life 2022-23 postseason, and that dominance extends to the NCU — despite the fact that three of their opponents in actuality (the Suns with Durant, the Lakers with out Irving and the Heat as an alternative of the Knicks) look very totally different on this alternate universe.
“The job is done, we can go home now.”
Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets full the mission of bringing the 2022-23 NBA Championship to Denver! pic.twitter.com/Af9nOROEfz
— NBA (@NBA) June 13, 2023
New Suns proprietor Mat Ishbia is raring to make a splash. In actuality, he glad that urge instantly, pushing for a commerce for Durant inside 24 hours of assuming crew possession. But with Durant nonetheless content material in Brooklyn in the NCU, Ishbia has to carry off till his first summer time as an proprietor.
He then targets Lillard, who, in actuality, was the greatest star out there in the 2023 offseason after requesting a commerce from the Portland Trail Blazers. Lillard can be a way more dynamic backcourt companion for Booker than Bradley Beal, whom the crew acquired that summer in reality. Meanwhile, the Giannis-less Bucks haven’t any purpose to commerce for Lillard, and the Heat have an interest — extra so than in actuality as a result of they did not make a miracle run to the 2023 Finals in the NCU — however do not have the belongings to beat a blockbuster Suns provide.
The Suns have been already half of the three-team Lillard commerce in actuality; in the NCU, they simplify it to a two-teamer and purchase the future Hall of Famer from Portland.
13. Minnesota reaches its first NBA Finals
Let’s bounce forward to the finish of the 2023-24 season. Even with Antetokounmpo’s Knicks pushing for a repeat Finals look, and with the two Tyreses and an injury-prone Embiid main Philadelphia, the Celtics run roughshod over the convention, as they did in actuality.
But the Western Conference is a unique story. Without Irving by his facet, Luka Doncic‘s Dallas Mavericks cannot replicate their real-life run to the Finals, and so they’re changed by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who misplaced in the convention finals in actuality. With Anthony Edwards, Towns and a better-respected Gobert main the means, the Timberwolves attain the first Finals in franchise historical past and compete in an all-time traditional towards the Celtics.
In actuality, Minnesota and Boston met twice in the 2023-24 common season, and each video games went to additional time. They play seven back-and-forth video games in the Finals in the NCU, and Kevin Garnett turns into an web sensation together with his response movies.
The following summer time, furthermore, the Timberwolves retain Towns as an alternative of sending him to New York in a shock commerce. They’re joyful to maintain the former No. 1 decide after a Finals run, and the Knicks have already made their massive commerce for Antetokounmpo.
None of the key contributors in Durant’s shot performed for Minnesota. But that one small second ripples into an amazing wave for the land of 10,000 lakes.
14. The Lakers add Nick Nurse … however not Luka Doncic
Similarly massive modifications have an effect on the crew nonetheless named for all these lakes. In actuality, the Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham after the 2023-24 season, and so they observe that path in the NCU after his failure to achieve the Finals with the James-Irving-Davis trio. The Lakers get their first-choice substitute in Nurse, whom they had targeted for a earlier opening.
In actuality, Nurse was unavailable as a result of he changed Doc Rivers in Philadelphia a 12 months earlier, however in the NCU, the 76ers’ convention finals run saved Rivers’ job.
Meanwhile, JJ Redick stays a prolific commentator, podcast host and media determine.
Half a 12 months later, furthermore, the greatest alteration is a transfer the Lakers do not execute. Consider what the Lakers despatched to Dallas in return for Doncic, along with star middle Davis: Max Christie and a 2029 first-round decide. But in the NCU, the Lakers already traded Christie and the decide to Brooklyn in the Irving deal.
Thus, the NCU affords an interesting — if nonetheless painful — alternate path for Mavericks followers. On the one hand, they miss out on Irving and a run to the 2024 Finals, however on the different hand, if solely Durant’s foot is behind the line in 2021, then a butterfly flaps its wings and 5 years later, Doncic stays a Maverick as a result of the most shocking trade in NBA historical past by no means occurs.
“When I got a call, I had to check if it was April 1st. I didn’t really believe it at first.”
-Luka on when he acquired the name he was being traded pic.twitter.com/4IoVZt8mTK
— ESPN (@espn) February 4, 2025
15. The Pacers by no means make the Finals
Neither does Indiana’s stunning run to the 2025 Finals. It’s arduous to say how Indiana’s stretch from 2022 to 2025 would have gone with Sabonis, however with out Haliburton and Turner. But it is secure to say that with out Haliburton as their engine, the Pacers do not have the firepower to get previous the Giannis-led Knicks or Mitchell-led Cavaliers in the playoffs. (In actuality, they beat New York and Cleveland en path to the Finals.)
16. The Kings’ playoff drought continues
Similarly, the Kings’ NCU fortunes falter. In actuality, even when the Pacers received the Haliburton-Sabonis commerce, Sabonis nonetheless made consecutive All-NBA groups in Sacramento and led the crew to the playoffs in 2023, the Kings’ first postseason look since 2006.
Suffice it to say, Ben Simmons doesn’t have that kind of influence. In the NCU, the Kings’ playoff drought is in its twentieth season, and the idea of “Light the beam!” hasn’t entered the nationwide NBA consciousness.
Finally, the NCU’s most up-to-date pivotal change comes at the finish of the 2024-25 schedule. In actuality, the Mavericks and Bulls each completed the season at 39-43, and Dallas won a tiebreaker drawing to safe the lottery place the Mavs would ultimately parlay into the No. 1 decide.
But with Doncic nonetheless on the town, the Mavericks end with a successful document in the NCU, so the Bulls are free to complete in the fortunate lottery spot. In 2008, once they drafted Derrick Rose, Chicago jumped as much as the No. 1 decide with 1.7% lottery odds; in the 2025 NCU, the Bulls leap up and seize Flagg regardless of having 1.8% odds.
Flagg is simply the newest star participant to vary groups consequently of the butterfly impact of Durant’s foot touching the line in 2021. In the NCU, that tiny tweak modifications the Finals matchups in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025; modifications the trajectories of quite a few unconnected franchises; and modifications the place greater than a dozen future Hall of Fame candidates are taking part in in 2025-26.
All as a result of of one outsized sneaker and an additional inch.
