Kevin Durant trade sparks Ben Simmons jokes, 'Fresh Prince' memes as NBA Twitter reacts to Nets teardown

Joe Rivera

•
Kevin Durant trade sparks Ben Simmons jokes, 'Fresh Prince' memes as NBA Twitter reacts to Nets teardown image

And then there was Ben.

The story of the Kyrie Irving-Kevin Durant Brooklyn Nets is going to make for a wonderful Netflix series one day, with enough real-life drama baked-in to make for at least four seasons — which is longer than the duo lasted together in Brooklyn.

Along the way, the team traded for James Harden and then traded Harden for Ben Simmons. As of Thursday, all that remains in Brooklyn is Simmons and a bunch of Dick's Sporting Goods clearance rack Nets uniforms.

MORE: Kevin Durant trade grades — Suns swing for fences

Simmons, though, hasn't proven much of anything in his limited time playing in Brooklyn. Through the 2022-23 season, he's averaging 7.2 points per game on 5.8 field goal attempts per game, coupling with 27.3 minutes played. Those are all career lows for the 26-year-old.

Of course, Simmons' inconsistent production and standing in the Association has oftentimes been met with critiques, a healthy dose of skepticism and many, many jokes. With Irving and Durant both traded prior to the deadline, NBA Twitter had quite a time cracking humor at Simmons and the Net's expense:

Well, Nets fans, at least you have Spencer Dinwiddie back. 

Joe Rivera

Joe Rivera Photo

Joe Rivera is in his seventh year with The Sporting News, handling NFL, MLB and some things pro wrestling. A proud-ish Rutgers University graduate, Rivera combines a new-school flair with an old-school soul. He loves dingers, wrestling, comic books, movies, music and really bad puns. He is also a card-carrying BBWAA member and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater.

You can find him and tweet him @JoeRiveraSN, if you're into that sort of thing.