Durant-Irving faceoff brings to mind other failed superteams

When you're putting together a championship contender, one rule is paramount — get the best talent you possibly can. You'll be facing off against the best possible rosters your opponents can assemble, so it's only logical that you should pack your own team full of stars. Sometimes, the stars align and you can even stack your roster with multiple Hall of Famers, thereby guaranteeing you a title.

Right?

Well, not quite. That's what the Brooklyn Nets likely had in mind when they acquired Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019, and then added James Harden in the latter part of the 2020-21 season. That's three superstars, all of whom are likely bound for Springfield, Massachusetts, when they retire, and all of whom can take over games. What could stop them?

A lot of things, as it turns out — between injuries and off-court factors, the trio played only 16 games together (going 13-3, to be fair) before Harden was sent to the Philadelphia 76ers in a trade. The Nets were swept in the playoffs, and the next season, it all became too much for the team to bear. Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, and a few days later, Durant was dealt to the Phoenix Suns.

It's a sad story for the Nets, and as Durant and Irving's new teams face off for the first time since the blockbuster trades, it brings to mind what could have been. If it makes Nets fans feel any better, this isn't the first time legitimate superteams have never quite managed to put it all together. Here are a few examples from the major men's pro leagues since the turn of the century.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal alone were a combination to be feared, but the Lakers decided to add Karl Malone and Gary Payton to further overwhelm other teams. It wasn't a bad idea — the