Getty Kevin Durant and LeBron James defend Stephen Curry during the final seconds of the fourth quarter during the 2018 NBA All-Star Game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 18, 2018.
Things went awry for the Brooklyn Nets during the off-season. Between Kyrie Irving’s player option and Kevin Durant’s trade request, things appeared to be unraveling in Brooklyn. However, both elected to return to the Nets this season. But that wasn’t the end of Brooklyn’s issues. Kyrie Irving is currently suspended, and if the season ended today, the Nets would not even qualify for the play-in.
Despite Brooklyn’s struggles, Kevin Durant has remained their lone bright spot. On the season, he is averaging 30.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game.
With Durant still playing at a high level and the Nets trending in the wrong direction, some wonder if the 12-time All-Star will ask the Nets to revisit his trade request. As he nears the back end of his career, Durant’s window to compete for championships is swiftly closing. If Brooklyn deals the future Hall of Famer, Eric Pinus of Bleacher Report says the Golden State Warriors would be a ‘realistic’ landing spot for the Nets star.
Full trade details:
Nets Receive:
James Wiseman
Jonathan Kuminga
Moses Moody
Warriors Receive:
Kevin Durant
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Draymond Green Likely Included in Warriors, Nets Deal
Pinus also notes that the combined contracts of Wiseman, Kuminga, and Moody are not enough to match Durant’s salary. As a result, a third team would have to get involved to complete the deal. And with Warriors star Draymond Green in the final year of his contract, he could be the perfect player to add to the mix.
“The three combine to earn $19.1 million, well short of the amount needed to match Durant. How can the Warriors make up that $16.1 million difference? The answer might have to be Draymond Green ($25.8 million), who is seeking an extension beyond his 2023-24 player option ($27.6 million),” Pinus writes.
“Green could go to a third team, assuming the Nets’ primary focus would be on a rebuild. But Green and all three young players (the Warriors can also include a 2028 or 2029 first-round pick) is a big ask, given the team’s efforts to straddle winning and rebuilding. And Green remains the quarterback of the Warriors’ defense and a fundamental part of how the team functions.”
Curry Was ‘Never Hesitant’ About Durant Reunion
When Durant was on the trading block this summer, the Warriors were interested in a reunion with the 12-time All-Star. But their interest in him was a head-scratcher for some.
Golden State was fresh off a championship, had a heap of young talent ready to be developed, and Steph Curry had just captured the first Finals MVP award of his career, something he never did with Durant as his teammate. But Curry says despite all the Warriors had going for them, he was never hesitant about reuniting with his former teammate.
“I was never hesitant. The idea of playing with KD and knowing who he is as a person, from our history in those three years, I think KD’s a really good dude. I think he is misunderstood,” Curry said to Matt Sullivan of Rolling Stone in September.
“I think he has had certain things happen in his life that hurt his ability to trust people around him, in a sense of making him feel safe at all times. So, all of those things, I understand, having played with him and gotten to know him. I love that dude.”
If the Nets don’t right the ship soon, Durant may be on the move.