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It has been nearly two months since Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant made his trade request to the franchise. And though Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks have vowed to honor the trade request of their franchise player, the Nets are no closer to trading Durant than they were when he initially made his request. And as the offseason ends and matures toward the opening of NBA training camps, no one is sure what the future holds for Durant and the Nets.
The biggest obstacle in getting a deal done has been the desires of both sides. Durant wants to go to a contender, and the Nets want what could be the biggest trade package in NBA history. But to this point, the market has been scarce on both sides of the spectrum.
But this proposed trade from Andrew Hughes of Fansided that sends Durant to the Boston Celtics could satisfy both parties.
The full terms of the deal are below:
Celtics get:
Joe Harris
Kevin Durant
Nets get:
Jaylen Brown
Marcus Smart
Derrick White
2025 Boston Celtics first-round pick
2027 Boston Celtics first-round pick
2023 Portland Trail Blazers second-round pick.
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Brown Considered Nets ‘Biggest Prize’
In any scenario for the Nets and their fans, losing Durant will be a tough pill to swallow as he is one of the best players in NBA history. But the silver lining is that Jaylen Brown is as good as is gets in terms of a consolation prize. Despite Jayson Tatum being deemed the Celtics superstar, Brown’s star shined the brightest during Boston’s loss to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Per Stat Muse, Brown averaged 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in the Finals compared to 21.5 points, 7.0 assists, and 6.8 rebounds for Tatum. Hughes says the Celtics star is the biggest prize in Brooklyn’s sights.
“Jaylen Brown has been called the biggest prize in Brooklyn’s sights in KD trade talks, and Marcus Smart is the line in the sand the Nets are drawing in trade talks,” Hughes writes.
“The draft picks are an obvious must but swapping Joe Harris for Derrick White would give Steve Nash another capable shot-creator. Collecting those should be a goal in the absence of a one-man offensive system in Kevin Durant.”
Execs Believe Joe Harris Will Be Made Available
Joe Harris has not played an NBA game since November 12 after suffering an ankle injury that required him to have surgery earlier in the season. He and the Nets decided that the in-season surgery was the best option so he could return to the court later in the year instead of having to deal with flareups.
But that is the opposite of what happened. Harris suffered multiple setbacks in his recovery and eventually had to get a second surgery that ended his season.
Harris’ injury history and an abysmal showing in the 2021 playoffs could impact his future with the Nets. Michael A. Scotto of HoopsHype says rival executives believe Harris could be more available than he has in the past based on recent events.
“Joe Harris is the team’s most realistic trade asset should Brooklyn try to upgrade at a different position,” Scotto writes.
“Rival teams believe Harris could be more available than in years past, with fellow sharpshooter Seth Curry under contract for $8.5 million next season.”
The future of the Brooklyn Nets continues to hang in the balance. It will be interesting to see what the end result is.
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