Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets are in a weird place right now following a disappointing season, and things may only get worse.
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Tragedy struck the Nets in the 2020-21 season. They looked like the title favorites and played that way all season long despite hardly having their big three on the court together. Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving started playing together properly in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Harden and Irving both suffered injuries at different times. Durant’s foot was on the line on a potential game winning three, and the Nets lost in seven to the eventual champions, the Milwaukee Bucks.
This past season, the Nets got off to a hot start, racing to the number one seed. Kyrie Irving was not on the team due to his Covid-19 vaccine controversy, but the Nets were still doing fine and were expecting Kyrie back.
Then, injuries struck. The team fell apart as Harden was traded, and the Nets fell all the way down to the eighth seed. They were then swept by the Eastern Conference Champions, the Boston Celtics.
Speculation arose about whether Kyrie Irving would return to the team or not. Rumors of a trade to LA or somewhere else surfaced. However, Kyrie opted into his contract, choosing to stay. For the time being at least. Kevin Durant requested a trade soon after, and that’s where we’re at right now.
.@wojespn on how the Suns’ pursuit of Kevin Durant is impacted now following Deandre Ayton’s max offer sheet:
“For Phoenix, it probably leaves them without the assets to be competitive for a Kevin Durant trade.” pic.twitter.com/sD4DzlD561
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) July 15, 2022
Nets could stand pat on Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant signed a four-year, $189 million contract with the Nets, and before it ends, he wants out. Durant is definitely unhappy with the situation and Brooklyn and wants to win a title elsewhere.
The Nets are also demanding a massive package. They want several young pieces and at least three first round draft picks per sources. For the Nets, demanding such a big haul makes sense. They’re giving away one of the best players in the league, and they’ll want to maximize their return as much as they can.
However, no team so far seems to have found the assets necessary to bring in KD. Either they’re not offering the Nets enough, or they don’t have the pieces required. If they don’t find a valid trade partner, Brooklyn is perfectly happy not trading Durant away.
After all, they wouldn’t want to admit that they completely botched having Durant, Irving, and Harden together, and they will want to believe that in the right circumstances, there is still a title waiting for the team.
Brian Windhorst:
“The executives are going on vacation… At this point, the Nets’ preferred situation is for Kevin Durant to stay with them. There is no trade that they’ve got that they like.”
(via @ESPNNBA) pic.twitter.com/sLlSFfMPnl
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 15, 2022
There’s still a long way to go before anything gets settled, but this could get ugly.