LeVert is ready for all possibilities, from a Nets title run to a trade

This isn’t Caris LeVert’s first rodeo — but it sure feels like it.

The Nets have been included in blockbuster trade rumors in the past, LeVert recalls: First Jimmy Butler, then farfetched Anthony Davis trade talks.

Those didn’t feel real. This time it does.

A James Harden-to-the-Nets trade has been the talk of the town, with Harden formally requesting a trade from Houston and highlighting Brooklyn as his lone preferred destination. If the Nets and Rockets ultimately agree to a deal, it would pave the way for a super team trio of Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

For that to happen, everyone else would have to be on the table.

That means LeVert — no matter how good he’s been, how well he played in the Orlando bubble, or how close he is to Durant, Irving, or even general manager Sean Marks — is not unmovable.

Quite the contrary: If a Harden trade ever occurs, he will likely be the focal point of the deal.

“It’s part of the business. They tell you that from Day 1, coming into it,” LeVert said on a Zoom conference call with reporters on Thursday. “Nobody is irreplaceable.

Guys get moved every single year. For us, we just have to be prepared for any situation.”

If there’s one constant with the Nets, it’s transparency. Marks said he has made himself available if any players had questions or concerns about the offseason, and LeVert has taken him up on that offer — frequently.

LeVert says he and Marks speak multiple times a week. He is the latest Nets player to admit the GM’s ‘open-door’ policy is refreshing.

“Those things definitely come up and he’s been an open book, honestly, when it comes to that type of stuff. Me and him have a great relationship. So if something does happen I feel like I’ll know about it. I feel like he’ll tell me.”

But LeVert knows he can’t let himself go down the rabbit hole of possibilities. He sees the trade rumors: How could he not?

“I try not to pay attention to it, but it’s kind of hard when you turn on TV and see certain things, when you turn on your social media and see certain things,” he admitted. “I just worry about the team, myself, putting in work every day and try to maximize my potential and what I have going on.”

LeVert has found solace in getting lost in his craft. He could be traded today, tomorrow or never, but he still wants to improve.

After all, he has a job to do — and if the Nets, or any team he’s on, plan to maximize their potential, he needs to do that job well.

As of now, LeVert is the Nets’ third star, and both Durant, Irving, his teammates and coaching staff recognize him as such. His job will be to complement Brooklyn’s two superstars in whichever way they need. It will also include spurts of leading the team himself.

“I think everybody’s on the same page as far as role is concerned. Just do what I do best,” LeVert said. “Be someone very versatile who can do a lot of things really well. Just depending on who I’m out there on the court with — whether it be playing off the ball or playing on the ball. Just being ready for every situation. I think that’s what I’ve kind of been preparing myself for with this long offseason we’ve had.”

His role, though, projects to change dramatically from what he has been accustomed to.

Before the “clean sweep” where the Nets landed two stars in one swing, LeVert was on track to be the face of the franchise. He’s been the team’s best playoff player two seasons in a row, an ascent that’s culminated with a standout showing in the Orlando bubble: averaged 25 points, 6.7 assists, 5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game, including a 37-point barrage that nearly eliminated Damian Lillard’s Portland Trail Blazers from playoff contention.

LeVert’s play helped the Nets evade a play-in tournament and punch a ticket to a second consecutive playoff appearance — and their second consecutive first-round exit.

A first-round exit is now a worstcase scenario. The Nets have not backed down from it: They have a three-year window to win a championship — or championships.

That means the offense will run primarily through Durant and Irving, the only two players on the roster who have won a championship

LeVert has been preparing through this super-shortened offseason. He’s worked extensively with Irving, who he says is “super locked-in” and looks “extremely healthy.” He’s also worked with Durant, who he thinks is “right back where he was” before the ruptured Achilles sidelined him all of last season.

With two of the greatest offensive talents in NBA history on his team, LeVert knows he’ll need to be a reliable catch-and-shooter, and is excited to be one, and a reliable off-ball player — two things he says he hasn’t been asked to do at a large volume at the NBA level. He knows he’ll still have opportunities where the offense runs through him, and he’s still working on his lower body strength.

Most importantly, he’s making sure he gets as close to 100% healthy as possible. LeVert missed 24 games due to a dislocated thumb last season. The season before, he dislocated his ankle in a gruesome injury that fortunately wasn’t as bad as it looked.

In a way, LeVert embodies the crossroads the Nets find themselves in. On one end, the possibility of a trade is more real now than ever before. On the other, it’s business as usual: It’s time to get better and get ready for the season.