Getty Kevin Durant.
The Brooklyn Nets have a Kevin Durant trade request to deal with this offseason, and things aren’t exactly going well so far.
Durant requested his trade at the end of June, but there hasn’t been much movement since then. His requested landing spots are either the Phoenix Suns or Miami Heat, but it’s clear if either team has the type of trade package the Nets are looking for.
The Nets superstar has four years left on his deal, so Brooklyn has a lot of leverage here, and when it’s compared to the haul the Utah Jazz got in exchange for Rudy Gobert, the Nets can sit and wait.
As the wait continues, the Nets might either get better options, or they could dry up entirely. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst says the latter is happening as the league starts to go on vacation.
“From what I understand, the trade talks involving Kevin Durant have slowed to a trickle,” Windhorst reports. “You can still get some Nets folks on the phone if you wanna make an offer, but they are not aggressively, I am told, making outgoing calls.”
“From what I understand, the trade talks involving Kevin Durant have slowed to a trickle.”
(via @GetUpESPN)
While offers aren’t actively being made, there’s one trade idea that has been floated by ESPN’s Max Kellerman that could actually make a lot of sense.
He suggests sending Durant to Chicago in exchange for five-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan as well a sturdy center and a blossoming young piece.
Durant to Chicago
For a time, the Bulls were sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference, so there is certainly a good team waiting to break through there.
Durant would instantly make any team he’s on better, and in Kellerman’s proposed trade, they would keep their two-time All-Star Zach LaVine. Here’s a look.
- Nets receive: DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams
- Bulls receive: Kevin Durant
DeRozan showed he can still flash some star potential, even if he isn’t at the top of his game like he was with the Toronto Raptors. DeRozan was named to his fifth All-Star team last season with the Bulls.
Vucevic is interesting because he’d fill a big man problem the Nets have, but Kellerman believes he’d immediately be flipped for more assets.
“You’re not going to get Vucevic, they’ll flip him into some stuff that you might want,” he said.
What’s tough for the Nets in this case is the fact the Bulls can’t offer any draft picks, so they’d have to settle with just players. Brooklyn is already low on draft picks as it is, so that could be the major hangup in a deal like this.
What’s the Latest?
Outside of fans and analysts floating trades, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot going for the Nets regarding a trade for Durant or Kyrie Irving.
There’s still a long offseason ahead and a move could certainly be made between now and the start of the season, but it does look like a lot of the early excitement has dried up.
Of course, this is good news for Nets fans as losing Durant would leave you in a worst position going forward, no matter what comes back.
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Nets Land 5-Time All-Star in Proposed Blockbuster Kevin Durant Trade