Getty Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis
The Brooklyn Nets dropped their second consecutive game in a 121-153 loss to the Sacramento Kings on November 15. The 32-point shellacking is their worst loss of the season.
When the Nets fired Steve Nash as head coach and hired Jacque Vaughan to replace him, it was seen as a breath of fresh air in Brooklyn as the team took positive steps in a new direction. But Vaughan’s results have been almost identical to Nash’s, as Brooklyn is falling further behind in the Eastern Conference playoff standings.
With their star point guard, Kyrie Irving still suspended, and no return date in sight, Nets owner Joe Tsai will soon have to make a concrete decision on which direction he wants to take the team. Because without Irving, the Nets are not equipped to compete. If Brooklyn chose to blow it up this season, Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated suggests a trade that swaps Durant for Lakers star Anthony Davis who is currently in the third season of a 5-year $189 million deal.
Full details below:
Lakers get:
Kevin Durant
Nets get:
Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker IV
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Nets Could Revisit Durant Trade
A championship would be the only thing that prevents this Kyrie, KD, Brooklyn Nets era from being an abject failure. They mortgaged their future in the 2021 James Harden trade that saw them part ways with multiple NBA draft picks, only to trade Harden less than a year later. Kyrie has missed more games than he has played, and Kevin Durant has been battling injuries since joining the Nets.
Durant and Kyrie are prolific in their own right. But a breath of fresh air and a change of scenery may be just what the doctor ordered for all involved parties. Nadkarni says the Nets may be one more lengthy losing streak away from considering a Durant trade.
“Despite the recent success, Brooklyn may be one more swoon away from considering this trade. If the Nets go in the tank again, trading Durant would help begin to cleanse the drama hovering over this organization,” Nadkarni added.
“Acquiring Davis would allow Brooklyn to still contend while figuring out what to do with Irving and Ben Simmons. Davis would be the featured player with the Nets and could maintain his star persona in a big market.”
Durant Provides Kyrie Irving Update
Kyrie was initially supposed to miss a minimum of five games after failing to apologize for sharing the link to a film containing anti-Semitic tropes. But after missing his seventh game on Tuesday against the Kings, Irving’s suspension is indefinite. Despite the Nets star being sidelined for the time being, Durant says Kyrie’s spirit has not wavered.
“His spirit is high. Looking forward to playing the game. So hopefully all this stuff is over with, and we can move past it and get him back on the floor soon,” Durant said to reporters via NetsDaily.
“That’s been out of our control. And as players, we try to lock in on the game, and practices. So, we just try to lock in and whenever that figures itself out, it will. That’s over a lot of our heads right now so we just got to control what we can.”
The Nets will have a chance to get back on the right track in their next game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Proposed Blockbuster Trade Sends Nets a $189 Million Former No. 1 Pick