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Kevin Durant’s trade request has now stretched for over a month and there doesn’t seem to be any movement on it as of yet for the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets have received a fair amount of interest for their superstar, but not even the proposed offer of Jaylen Brown from the Boston Celtics was able to get the wheels turning for Brooklyn.
Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett reports Durant will now be going to Nets owner Joe Tsai to discuss the request.
“What I’m hearing is that KD is going to meet with the owner this week,” an NBA executive told Bulpett. “He’s going to go directly to the owner, Joe Tsai, sometime this week. We’ll see how that works.”
As for whether that means the request will be rescinded is up in the air.
“I don’t know,” said the exec. “I have no idea what’s going to come of that meeting. There are some things that KD is unhappy about, and I’m not sure any of that gets fixed here. But maybe it does.”
Part of the problem for the Nets is that their asking price is much higher than many teams are willing to go. This stems from the haul the Utah Jazz received in return for Rudy Gobert.
That trade brought the Jazz the following:
• Malik Beasley
• Patrick Beverley
• Leandro Bolmaro
• Walker Kessler (No. 22 pick in 2022 Draft)
• Jarred Vanderbilt
• 2023 first-round pick
• 2025 first-round pick
• 2026 pick swap
• 2027 first-round pick
• 2029 first-round pick
The Nets are looking for something along those lines, and Bleacher Reports Greg Swartz believes it’d be “embarassing” for Brooklyn to settle for anything less.
Nets in Tough Spot
If Durant’s trade request keeps up, then the Nets might not have any other choice but to ship him out of town.
It’s hard to imagine a world where the Nets would actually improve by shipping away the superstar, but they might have to take what they can get if he decides to sit out games like Ben Simmons did with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Swartz writes that the Nets can’t settle for less than what the Jazz got for Gobert, so that leaves the team in a rough situation.
“It was a wild amount to give up for Gobert and his four-year, $170 million remaining contract, even as good as the three-time Defensive Player of the Year is,” he wrote. “For Sean Marks and the Nets front office, moving Durant for anything less would be embarrassing.”
While nobody that came over in the Gobert trade is a star on Durant’s caliber, they did receive serviceable players and a plethora of draft picks.
However, the Nets can’t just settle for that, and Swartz believes it’d be in the team’s best interest to simply keep Durant if they can’t get a better offer.
“Despite his age (33) and recent injury history, Durant is still a top-three player in the NBA who’s proved he can be the No. 1 option on a championship team,” he continued. “Gobert will be the fourth scoring option on his own team. The Nets simply can’t move Durant for a few good starters and a pair of first-round picks. Brooklyn has to get an offer that surpasses that of Gobert or just keep Durant, period.”
Best Case Scenario for Nets?
What would work best for the Nets is Durant simply deciding to stick with Brooklyn. The team has a strong core with Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving, and since nobody got to see them play together, there could be something good there.
Simmons is a big question mark as he hasn’t played a game of NBA basketball in over a year, but he’s a proven playmaker and defender when he’s on the court.
Pairing him with Irving and Durant would make him the third option, and perhaps that’s what he needs to help take some pressure off him.
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