Joe Tsai May 9, 2019; New York City, NY, USA; Taiwanese businessman Joe Tsai (center) cheers during the second half of the preseason WNBA game between the New York Liberty and the China National Team at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Two years ago, Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai had what appeared to be the best-looking lineup in the NBA. After having traded away James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and now Kevin Durant, with no championships to show for it, Tsai’s folly is the laughingstock of the league and fans.

In the middle of the night at 1 a.m. Eastern, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the bombshell news that the Nets were trading superstar Durant to the Phoenix Suns. This came just days after the Nets traded Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, ending his controversial run with the franchise. That leaves Ben Simmons, somehow, as the face of the franchise, since he was traded from the Philadephia 76ers for Harden last year.

Tsai caught a lot of flak for not trading Irving to the Los Angeles Lakers despite the fact that they arguably made a better offer than the Mavericks, presumably to spite Kyrie, who wanted to play alongside LeBron James.

Now, despite being 32-22 and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, the Nets are likely to free-fall in the standings as they head back to square one saddled with Simmons’ massive contract. Whatever hope that Nets fans had for their ownership and front office to figure things out is officially gone.

The NBA world scorched Tsai on early Thursday morning over the fact that he failed to accomplish anything with his Big 3 and is now looking at a complete rebuild.

[Adrian Wojnarowski]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.