Getty Kyrie Irving, right, with Kevin Durant of the Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have to deal with Kevin Durant’s trade request this summer, and although a month has passed since the demand came in, they don’t look any closer to trading him.
Durant has four years left on his deal and the Nets are expecting a big return for their superstar, and not even the Boston Celtics’ offer of Jaylen Brown was able to move the needle.
With Kyrie Irving’s future with the team in doubt as well, it might leave people on the outside looking with a sour taste in their mouths. With free agency in full swing, The Athletic’s Alex Schiffer believes all of the drama unfolding around the team in such a short timespan has impacted free agents from coming to the team.
Between James Harden being shipped away midseason last year, Durant’s trade request, and Irving’s ineligibility, the Nets might just be a headache that’s better off being avoided.
Nets Free Agency Plans Hurt?
The Nets did sign T.J. Warren this offseason, so it’s not like players just don’t want to come to Brooklyn, but they did also lose Andre Drummond and Bruce Brown. Brown went to the Denver Nuggets where he’ll likely thrive playing off reigning MVP Nikola Jokic.
Schiffer responded to a fan question about whether the Nets issues all appearing one after another had any impact, and he gave a blunt answer.
“Yes, yes and yes,” he said. “All of the drama has absolutely impacted the way free agents look at signing with the Nets. How can it not? Would you go work for a company that has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately? Would you have taken a job at Enron after the scandal came out years ago and the stock was worth pennies? I don’t think other front offices have minded the drama in Brooklyn. It just makes their sales pitch easier to free agents also considering the Nets.”
It’s tough to tell what sort of impact it’s truly had because no player has outright said they are avoiding the Nets in free agency. Brown was a player the team wanted back, so seeing him depart to Denver might have had something to do with all of the drama going on.
To be fair, it likely is hard for a player considering signing with the Nets to commit if they don’t even know if Durant or Irving will be on the roster next season.
Are Durant or Irving Moving On?
As of right now, it’s tough to say if either of the players will end up being traded. There have been discussions about Durant, but it doesn’t seem like there’s been any real traction.
As for Irving, it looks like the Los Angeles Lakers are the only team interested in bringing him in. However, this trade would likely result in Russell Westbrook coming to the Nets, and that’s something Brooklyn hasn’t shown much interest in doing.
NBA insider Marc Stein still believes both players have a chance at being moved, but the wait might still be long.
“Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant, as we seemingly discuss daily, is still said to be seeking a trade elsewhere. The Los Angeles Lakers still hope to find a route to acquiring Durant’s teammate Kyrie Irving,” he wrote on his Substack.
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