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Nobody knows what the future of the Brooklyn Nets is. After a rollercoaster 2022 season that ended in a first-round sweep, Kevin Durant has requested a trade from the franchise. And the widespread belief is that if Durant is made available for trade, Nets All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving will be too.
Despite signing a 4-year/$198 million max contract extension last summer, the Nets front office has vowed to honor Durant’s trade request. However, they have made it clear that although they intend to work to get KD to his preferred destination, they want to walk away with the feeling that they did what was best for the franchise.
One NBA executive proposed a 5-team trade to Heavy’s Sean Deveney that lands the Nets star big man Myles Turner, Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker and a 2023 second-round NBA draft pick.
The full terms of the trade are below:
Brooklyn Nets get:
Myles Turner
Talen Horton Tucker
2023 2nd-round pick (Bulls pick, through Lakers)
New York Knicks get:
Donovan Mitchell
Los Angeles Lakers get:
Kyrie Irving
Buddy Hield
Indiana Pacers get:
Russell Westbrook,
1st-round pick (Lakers 2027),
2nd round pick (Detroit 2024, through Knicks)
Utah Jazz get:
Evan Fournier
Immanuel Quickley
Obi Toppin
1st-round picks (Detroit, 2023 protected, through Knicks; Washington, 2023 protected through Knicks; Knicks 2023 pick; Milwaukee 2025 pick, through Knicks, Lakers 2029 pick)
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Exec: Nets Waited Patiently for Mitchell to Become Available
Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks have reiterated they will only pull the trigger on a trade that is substantial enough for a player of Durant’s caliber. As a result, they have not been in any rush to complete a trade for either of their stars. Moving with haste in such a delicate situation could be detrimental to the franchise.
The Nets also maintained that if they couldn’t get a trade done right away, an opportunity would eventually present itself for them to get a fair deal. The executive says that the Nets front office was closely eyeing the situation with Donovan Mitchell in Utah.
“I think we all knew, eventually, the Jazz were going to budge on Donovan Mitchell and that’s what the Nets have been waiting for. They’d like to get him to Brooklyn themselves but it could be just too hard to do unless they have a Durant deal first, one that brings in a ton of picks and that is still a tough one. But they can move on Kyrie. I think we’ve seen these possibilities developing,” the executive said to Deveney.
“I think, however it shakes out exactly, you are going to see a mega-deal. You know, earth-shattering, four maybe five teams and some big, big names. The Knicks are in a great position because they have picks coming in from Detroit and Washington, protected picks but they’re valuable. That is most likely, we’ll have to see, but most likely where Mitchell goes.”
Kyrie Changes Course on Nets Future
Despite rumors of a looming trade for Kyrie Irving, a new report from Brian Lewis of the “New York Post” suggests that the Nets’ looming decision with Irving is not connected to Durant’s future with the franchise. Irving is prepared to play with the Nets, whether or not his co-star remains in Brooklyn.
“With every day that goes by without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving being traded, there is increasing sentiment among league personnel that one or both stars could still be on the Nets roster come training camp,” Lewis writes.
“A source close to the team confirmed that they’ve been in contact with Durant since his trade demand stunned the NBA. Another source close to Irving told The Post that the All-Star point guard not only never asked for a trade, but has had every intention of playing for Brooklyn — with or without Durant.”
With trade talks currently at a standstill, it will be interesting to see what the outcome of this saga is.
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Proposed 5-Team Kevin Durant Trade Lands Nets Star Center in Massive Haul