Getty James Harden #13, Kevin Durant #7, Joe Harris #12, and Jeff Green #8 of the Brooklyn Nets look on during the second half against the Orlando Magic at Barclays Center.
All-Star forward Kevin Durant has officially requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. After three consecutive seasons of not making it past the second round of the playoffs (something that never happened when he was in Golden State), the Nets star has decided that he would like a change of scenery.
In this latest trade proposal from Dan Devine of “The Ringer”, the Nets move Durant to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Defensive Player of the Year finalist Jaren Jackson Jr, Dillon Brooks, three future first-round picks (at least two of which are unprotected) and three pick swaps.
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Nets Could Ask for Desmond Bane in Grizzlies Trade
Marks and Tsai face a grim reality in any potential trade for Durant. That being, no matter how many assets they recoup in a Durant deal, it won’t be “fair” because players of his caliber only come around once every generation.
Jackson Jr is one of the best big men in the league and will be entering the first year of a 4-year $104 million extension in 2022-23. However, Brooks is entering the final year of a 3-year $35 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
And the way things are trending, you would think that the Nets would ask for more win-now pieces in a potential deal with the Grizzlies. Devine says Marks could also ask for Grizzlies guard and Most Improved Player finalist Desmond Bane who will only net $2.1 million next season.
“The fact that Desmond Bane is still on his rookie deal and making only $2.1 million next season complicates matters some; you’d imagine Marks would insist on the sweet-shooting bowling ball of a guard in any deal,” Devine writes.
“Brooks is as trick-or-treat as it gets on offense—see: the Golden State series but he’s a phenomenal point-of-attack defender and hard-nosed tone-setter, which might seem particularly valuable for a Nets franchise that seems to be looking to re-establish some semblance of coherent culture after three years spent trying on superstar status like an ill-fitting suit.”
Jackson Jr Injury Could Make Nets Skeptical
There could also be a potential roadblock in this deal with Jackson Jr. The floor-spacing big man had off-season surgery to correct a stress fracture in his foot and is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 months. Based on that timeline, the earliest that he could return to the floor would be early November, but that could extend to January or later, depending on how his recovery goes.
With Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Joe Harris already returning from offseason surgeries, the last thing that the Nets need is another player that won’t be immediately available, which is why Marks could be reluctant to take him back as the centerpiece of the deal.
“As it stands, though, a 22-year-old potential Defensive Player of the Year with a chance to develop into a legitimate floor-spacing unicorn—JJJ shot 38.4 percent from 3-point range over his first two seasons before dipping over the last two—would be an awfully intriguing building block for whatever the next iteration of the Nets might look like,” Devine adds.
“One big potential problem from the Brooklyn side: Jackson had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot and will be sidelined for the next four to six months. With a clean bill of health, Jackson’s a heck of a return; without one, you’d imagine Marks might be reluctant to view him as a foundational element in a deal.”
There has been little to no movement on a Durant trade since the opening of free agency. All signs seem to be pointing to him and Kyrie reporting to Nets training camp this fall.
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