Brooklyn Nets reshuffle roster, trade (expensive) DeAndre Jordan, who'd come as part of the "Big 3"

Well, the Brooklyn Nets' roster is an ever-changing thing, year over year:

After suiting up 28 players last season, Nets have gone through yet another huge turnover since season ended. Only 7 players remain from team that played vs Bucks: Big 3, Harris, Griffin, Claxton and Brown. Nets have also added three new coaches: Vanterpool, Keefe and Korver.

— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) September 4, 2021

That's what happens in the world of sports entertainment corporations battling to win championships and sponsorships. And even the personal favorite teammate of stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant became, after riding the bench, disposable. 

As The Athletic put it in LaMarcus Aldridge returns to the Nets, and DeAndre Jordan is traded to the Pistons, "What started as a 'clean sweep,' [the arrival of Jordan with KD and Kyrie] ended with a middling exit."

NetsDaily summarized it as "a series of unexpected moves" that gained two other young players, though GM Sean Marks is known for bold reshuffling of the roster. And Marks saved significant money--in both salaries and $47 million in "luxury tax"--by trading Jordan's expensive contract rather than buying it out.

Looks like a win?

Nets’ DeAndre Jordan trade should cement Sean Marks’ Executive of the Year campaign, wrote the Daily News's Kristian Winfield, who separately suggested that the Nets and Los Angeles Lakers--who also remade their roster--are close to evely matched.

The Nets also signed former star Paul Millsap, willing to work relatively cheap. While one sportscaster called the signing "a big-time get" for the Nets, the New York Post's Marc Berman quoted an anonymous (and perhaps rival) NBA source as saying Millsap was "washed."

But as the past two seasons have proven, former stars, some (like Blake Griffin) still able to make contributions, are willing to accept less money to play on contenders like the Nets and the Lakers. Heck, Jordan is now expected to sign with the Lakers.