Getty General Manager Sean Marks of the Brooklyn Nets speaks at the podium during a press conference at Brooklyn Nets Media Day
It didn’t take long for the NBA season to get into trade whispering mode. It was a quiet start of the season, but now about three weeks in trade rumors season is already in full swing. It all changed with the recent drama again with the Brooklyn Nets. After Kyrie Irving was suspended for his refusal to apologize for sharing a video with antisemitic rhetoric, it launched transaction rumors into full swing at the beginning of November. Now, new Kevin Durant trade rumors are coming out each day. However, Durant isn’t the only superstar rumored to be potentially on the trading block. Anthony Davis from the Los Angeles Lakers could also be available, according to whispers Bill Simmons is hearing.
“There’s some buzz, just some buzzing, that AD might be available,” Simmons said Monday on his podcast. “That is a Plan B because the Westbrook trade, or what they can get for Westbrook, whether you want to give future assets, maybe that doesn’t even make sense for the Lakers.”
Could the Nets Trade for Davis?
With both Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis both being names that their current teams could potentially shop, perhaps they could be traded for each other, according to a recent article from Bleacher Report. Grant Hughes in a column, shared four potential destinations that Davis could be sent to if the Lakers are in fact, looking to trade their second superstar. On the list was a proposal that saw Durant going to Hollywood in exchange for AD.
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: Kevin Durant
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Anthony Davis and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick
After having a historically high asking price for Durant this offseason, perhaps the writing is on the wall this season with the Durant and Irving experiment in Brooklyn, and it could be the time to move on and maybe they will be open to less. One player that could have a slight comp is Anthony Davis.
“Maybe they’d take one of the 75 best players in NBA history and a highly valuable unprotected first-rounder.
Davis, like nearly every NBA player, isn’t the offensive force Durant is. But he could address Brooklyn’s key weaknesses on the other end. The Nets are 23rd in defensive efficiency and dead last in opponent offensive rebound rate. With Kyrie Irving’s future as a Net far from certain, trading Durant could leave Brooklyn without a go-to option on offense. But the Nets were essentially built to surround a star with shooting, and they’d still have Joe Harris, Seth Curry, Patty Mills, Royce O’Neale, Cam Thomas and maybe even Irving flanking Ben Simmons and Davis,” Hughes writes.
Is The Deal Worth It?
After the last few years of Anthony Davis injuries, it is hard to be able to see this as a deal that the Nets get enough value in return for Durant. Sure, he is still a solid player on both sides of the court, but Durant remains a giant loss for Brooklyn. Especially with the year he is having this year despite the losing record. One player and one draft pick from Los Angeles also don’t seem to be enough. LeBron James getting to suit up with Kevin Durant after an exchange for that small of a trade feels criminal, and it doesn’t seem like a deal that could get done whether Simmons’ report about Davis being available are true or not.