Getty Head Coach Steve Nash and Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets talk during their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Brooklyn Nets and Kevin Durant trade discussions veered into another direction this week following reports that the superstar forward reiterated his trade request in a meeting with Nets owner Joe Tsai. However, in the meeting with Tsai, the 12-time All-Star also shared an ultimatum with the owner that if he were to let go of Nets general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash they could retain him for next year.
“In a meeting with Nets owner Joe Tsai, Kevin Durant reiterated his trade request and informed Tsai that Tsai needs to choose between Durant or the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash, sources say,” Shams Charania of The Athletic shared in a tweet.
However, while Durant was stating his interest to be traded from Brooklyn, one NBA Insider believes the latest news may have hurt his chances to be dealt.
Durant News Hurts Trade Odds
The Nets have already been looking to land a notoriously high haul in return for Durant.
“Tsai and the Nets have made clear privately that they will take every last asset from a team that trades for Durant, sources said,” reported Charania for The Athletic.
“Kevin Durant … in my view has very much limited his options,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently shared on the August 9 episode of ‘The Jump’ that Shams report may have hurt other teams pursuits of Durant.
“As I’ve talked to teams around the league, they think if anything, this (move) maybe restricts (KD’s) opportunity to get traded in the short term. It’s going to make it even harder for teams to want to meet the price that the Nets have already put up so high,” Windhorst said.
The Nets want the biggest trade in NBA history in return of Durant and that becomes difficult after the massive haul of players and picks the Utah Jazz got in return for Rudy Gobert. The Gobert trade set a tough precedent ahead of Brooklyn’s negotiations. Now negotiations get even harder to find the right deal for Durant.
Top Teams Pursuing a Trade for Durant
In his reporting Shams Charania shared the top three teams with the potential of landing Durant.
“The Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat remain the most significant candidates to acquire Durant, sources said,” Charania wrote.
The Miami Heat could reportedly have a deal done if they were to include Bam Adebayo in their trade request but the franchise continues to refuse to include him in their offers for Durant. Perhaps they could find a third team to partner with to increase their trade odds, but that remains unlikely.
The Boston Celtics have received a counter offer for Durant after their declined trade request that featured Jaylen Brown and Derrick White in the deal. However, Marcus Smart is a piece the Nets want included in any deal for Durant.
Toronto has been very active in trade discussions this offseason and have the pieces to include in the deal but remain hesitant to do so with their refusal to include NBA Rookie of the Year, Scottie Barnes in discussions.