Brooklyn Nets: The last reminders of a past life
Devin Harris, Dallas Mavericks
You probably guessed it already. The Nets will be playing Devin Harris and the Mavericks Wednesday night.
Harris has spent most of his career in Dallas; 10 years to be exact. The longest time he had spent away from the Mavericks was with the New Jersey Nets.
Acquired in the Jason Kidd trade, Harris was already an established talent. In 2006, he played a huge role on a Mavericks team that fell short to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
He started 15 games during those playoffs as a second-year player, averaging a shade under 9.5 points and two assists per game. He also posted 30 points in Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals.
He became even more vital to the Dallas team over the next two years, improving his season average to about 14.5 points before being dealt to the Nets in February 2008.
Almost immediately, his impact on the court helped lessen the blow of trading arguably the best player in Nets history. He averaged 15.6 points and 6.5 assists in the last 25 games of the season.
The next season, he played his way onto the Eastern Conference All-Star team, averaging 21 points per game, and boasting a career-high 47-point game against the Phoenix Suns.
During the disastrous 12-70 season, Harris still averaged 16.9 points in 64 games after battling the injury bug. He did, however, have one of the most astonishing buzz-beaters ever.
Down one point against the Philadelphia 76ers, with Andre Iguodala defending, Devin Harris fumbles an entry pass from Bobby Simmons, gathers and throws up a wild Hail Mary from halfcourt.
The following year, he was traded away with Derrick Favors to the Jazz for All-Star point guard Deron Williams. In Utah, he got back into the playoffs after a four-year absence, only for his Jazz team to get swept by the San Antonio Spurs.
From there, Harris went to Atlanta for a season before returning to Dallas in 2013. He was traded late last season only to return for a third time to the Mavericks.
At 35, he is averaging six points per game. He has been hampered by a hamstring injury this year so far, but he should be on the bench against the Nets Wednesday night.