The Knicks won’t join the Nets in Orlando. But the Nets could still join the Knicks in the lottery.
The 22-team proposal to restart the season approved Thursday by the league’s board of governors has made the Nets’ playoff plans a little more precarious than the other 22-team scenario.
And, incredibly, if the Nets play their way out of the playoffs, they’d get a big parting gift — their lottery-protected, first-round pick back from Minnesota. The Nets had included the 2020 first-round pick in the Allan Crabbe deal, but only if they were in the playoffs. If they miss out, that would give them two first-round picks — along with the 76ers’ pick, which currently is No. 20 but could change.
In one version of the 22-team format, the Nets were assured a spot in the playoffs. But the NBA is going way more elaborate, with an extensive restart in Disney World that will feature eight regular-season games per involved team starting July 31.
The Nets could conceivably miss out with a 2-6 showing, and there’s sufficient motivation to tank but that’s not their modus operandi.
The eight regular-season games would make a Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving return a little more feasible. It would give Durant more lead-up time to the playoffs. Thursday is the one-year anniversary of Durant tearing his Achilles tendon during the NBA Finals.
By July 31, Durant will have been out nearly 14 months. Irving will have been out five months following shoulder surgery.
Don’t count on it. The Nets are concerned Durant’s Achilles rehab was interrupted too severely and his return to the court for the restart still is doubtful.
In March, Durant was up to five-on-five scrimmages with Nets bench players and player developmental coaches, which was the last stage of his return process. But the pandemic put him off the court for more than two months just as he was building up.
Nets president Sean Marks has left it open but gave a hint in an interview this month when he noted he can’t wait to see Durant play in Brooklyn. But the rest of this season will be played out in Orlando.
Ultimately, though, the decision will rest with KD.
Meanwhile, the Nets (30-34) may not even make the playoffs for his return. They lead No. 8 Orlando by a half-game. The Wizards are in ninth place — 5 ½ games out of the No. 8 seed.
If the Nets fall to eighth after the eight regular-season games and the Wizards are within four games of the final playoff spot, a play-in will result between the Nets and Wizards. The No. 8 seed would have the edge, needing to win just once while the ninth seed would have to win twice.
The Nets have not fared well against the Wizards this season, losing both times, and they are expected to face off in one of the remaining regular-season contests.
With the Nets all-in on winning the title in 2021, regaining an additional lottery opportunity is hardly a bad scenario. The NBA announced Thursday teams that fall short of the playoffs after the restart automatically qualify for the lottery with no caveats.
The rest of the Nets’ Disney schedule is expected to include the Clippers, Kings, Celtics, Magic and Blazers — all teams the Nets had left on their docket. Originally, the Nets were scheduled to play the Clippers twice in the regular season’s final weeks.
