There was a “ferocity” in the Nets‘ front office Thursday night as numerous teams called with trade offers for Kevin Durant, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Sports Center (Twitter link).
The response around the league to Durant’s trade request was immediate and intense as more than half the league made inquiries. Wojnarowski said it created an unprecedented situation as some teams called Brooklyn with offers and then called back later to increase those offers without getting a counter from the Nets.
“There’s never quite been a player of Durant’s stature at this point in his career available for a trade, certainly in the modern era,” Wojnarowski said, adding that Brooklyn is aiming for a “historic haul” in return.
He reports that the Nets are basing their asking price on what the Clippers gave up to Oklahoma City for Paul George (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and five first-round picks) and what the Lakers paid to New Orleans for Anthony Davis (Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks).
The Nets “want more than that,” Wojnarowski said.
There’s more on Durant:
- Watching the Warriors win the championship played a role in Durant’s desire to leave Brooklyn, Wojnarowski said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” It contributed to the narrative that Durant can’t win on his own and that he’s trapped in a dysfunctional situation with the Nets. Durant reportedly asked for “a change of scenery” when he met with ownership on Thursday.
- Appearing this morning on ESPN’s “KJM,” Brian Windhorst cited a “high-90 percent chance” that the Nets will honor Durant’s trade request and said any deal involving Kyrie Irving will probably have to wait until Durant is moved. Irving only wants to go to the Lakers, but that means the Nets would have to take Russell Westbrook, who makes about $11MM more than Irving, and working out other compensation for Brooklyn won’t be easy.
- On “Get Up,” Windhorst projected that the Durant trade will involve at least three teams. He cites a potential Nets-Suns deal, saying the match isn’t perfect and both teams will likely make calls to expand the trade and see if they can get assets that they want. Windhorst adds that could “freeze business for a while” around the league as multiple teams consider getting involved. One advantage for Phoenix, Windhorst notes, is that it has control of all its future draft picks and can offer up to four draft choices and three pick swaps. That could encourage several teams to help facilitate a Durant deal. Phoenix is believed to be Durant’s preferred landing spot.
Nets are deep, they don’t need one for three type of trade
One for one player would be ideal for Nets
Ex
Durant for Booker
Sure, but I don’t know why people keep suggesting this. Durant wants to go to the Sun’s to play WITH Booker. I guess they haven’t been paying attention.
The Nets can’t take Booker, he signed a rookie extension
If we already know Kevin wants out why would trade the farm for him
Because teams are competing against half the league for KD’s services.
He has a 4 year contract and the Nets don’t have to trade him. There will be many teams bidding against each other and low ball offers will get rejected out of hand.
Because it’s Kevin Durant & he’s 1 of the greatest basketball players of all time. This is very obviously the main reason that teams will be willing to trade alot for him. Smh
Yeah but he will be 34 next year, missed several games again last season, and he is only valuble if you can keep a team that can compete immediately around him. Nets have so much chaos at this point that they need to move on and change the narrative.
Is no different than AD or PGs situations. In this case, KD is locked up on his contract so it’s definitely worth the investment.
At this point, the NBA should just go to universal one year contracts since no one is honoring these commitments anyway. The Alpha Dogs are making a mockery of the league with all these trade demands.
Instead, have a true salary cap (a fixed pot) so that every team is on equal footing and then players can make their location decisions (ie. – max my contract or take less to play for a championship…).
Well said. I would add that there needs to be a true salary FLOOR also. I am sick of teams like OKC and Detroit just being content to do player development for a few years. If they want that, then they should stop being NBA teams and move to the G League. Sacramento and Minnesota might be bad, but at least they are organically bad. I have no problem with a team winning 20-25 games if they are trying their best and just coming up short. But when teams have guys like John Wall or Al Horford just sit at home because they want to develop younger players when there is already an option to send young players to develop, I am much less interested in the product.
Okc won’t be there long….SGA is starting his max and once Giddey and Chet come due, they will be back in the tax again.
The NBA has a salary floor. Its 90 percent of the cap.
Yes, there is a floor and, when a team doesn’t meet it, it has to distribute the difference amongst its players. I believe I read OKC distributed $22M amongst its roster.
Who cares about the roster? What about the fans paying full price to see their games? They should be the ones getting part of the money back. You are paying to watch an NBA game, not a minor league team playing an NBA team.
Your team needs to stop being cheap. Joe Lacob is like the 25th richest owner. Stop being cheap.
Yeah I think other teams have seen what happened to the Clippers after the George deal and the Lakers after the Davis deal. Sure the Lakers won a title, but that was played in a damn bubble so it shouldn’t really even count. And look where they are now. So I guess if we have another pandemic that cancels all travel, it might be worth it to give up the farm for a title. But I still wouldn’t do it.
The PG trade was that big because of Kawhi, He will sign with the Clips if they trade for PG. So Presti asked for A LOT, that haul was that big because of PG+Kawhi, PG alone wouldn’t command that much value.
I factored that in, but since Kawhi only desires to play 1 out of every 3 games, I didn’t feel the need to mention his worthless behind.
Teams have been compensated well, who have had stars demand out. If they cannot make a go of it it’s their fault. Your example, Clippers may be WC favorites. Pels are better than they were, Lakers got to #1. Rockets nuts.
Agreed. And the AD deal was similar. Failing to acquire AD would have meant problems with LeBron. Those two deals weren’t truly “open market” situations.
Ok the Hawks should go ahead & moonwalk right out of consideration at this point. This guys arguably a top10 player all-time & definitely top5 in the game rn. But he’s about to exit his prime pretty soon & he had numerous serious injuries even during his prime. I’d rather just keep Collins/Huerter/Okongwu/picks than give all that up for even a legend like KD… from Brooklyn’s pov this truly may be the best thing to ever happen to this franchise. If they get Ayton, Mikal plus picks for KD & are able to get even a 75% return on Kyrie in a trade this summer they could be looking at a much brighter future than most ppl realize. Ben Simmons, Embiid & THarris had the best team in the East just last yr. Simmons, Ayton & Bridges would be extremely formidable as well
Nets had a couple of ok/good rotation guys, and that trio of Ayton – Simmons – Bridges looks like decent but not to compete for home court advantage.
The rumour is that Ayton doesn’t care too much about bbal, so pairing him with Ben Simmons will be kinda weird. The 76ers trio was by far better, Embiid is a lot better than Ayton ceilling.
Summons/Ayton/Mikal is far more than decent lol. All 3 of those guys are great 2way players, all just entering their prime, all already all-star level guys. That rumor about Ayton has been used against countless big guys from David Robinson to Shaq to Dwight. Its a slightly more pc way to call him lazy. Only a certain type that’s predisposed to a certain way of thinking would fall for that fr. Don’t be 1 of those guys
Il take Celtics – Bucks – Heat – Phi – Tor to have better records than that trio. Even Atlanta if they keep JC, JC Murray and Trae are a better trio than that.
That’s why i called them “decent”, they will lack offense IMO.
Sank is the one calling him lazy. Nobody else said that or probably meant that. Centers are not known for diving on loose balls… It’s a long way down for them.
There’s a lot of GMs having to answer why they are not going after Ayton if he’s a max player. The actual reason is, he’s not a max player.
But some people keep building him up as one and refuse to hear the truth. They are the ones responsible for creating a need to find excuses for not going for him.
Like Sank. Then they will not see their own role in the process and blame race.
Ayton does not bend well. He moves his arms before his feet. Still a fine player.
Hawks aren’t winning the title. They will be just like the teams with Horford years ago. Excellent regular season record but fall short in the playoffs. They need a game changer and Trey Young is not it
They have Kevin for 4 years. They should take their time and wait until their satisfied with an offer. Kyrie needs to be out of there as soon as reasonably possible unless they can use his salary as part of some multi team package with Durant. Not to the same team necessarily.
I think they need to trade Durant first so that they can absorb Westbrook from LA when they trade Kyrie. I know Westbrook sucks but that $47 mil is mighty juicy for BK plus whatever else they can get from LA. And the Durant trade of course.
Third team help
Westbrook and picks to third team
Irving to Lakers
Lakers may not give Irving max like reporters said
Westbrook and pics? No sillivan.
So what they are saying is he most likely will not be traded and stop all those rumors of him going to the Lakers because its not happening. Durant is getting up there in age so I doubt any team can afford to throw away their future for him.
I’m sure any NFL team would have thrown a lot of picks and good, active players at the Pats for a 34-year-old Tom Brady if he were available at the time. I’m not saying KD will play until 45, but he’s continuing to play at an elite level at 34 and is expected to do so for at least the remainder of his current contract.
The problem for BKN is not a lot of contenders have the high end assets they’d be looking for such as good young players with potential and higher level picks.
One team to keep an eye on is MEM
I thought at MEM as a possible team to acquire KD but the JJ Jr. injury might not favour MEM odds.
Maybe one of the few Clips fans who says pass. Clips don’t have the picks, would have to involve a second club, would give up half the roster for a guy who is 33, significant injury history and gives maybe two good healthy years of the four. No thanks.
Clips should pass for sure. Already a loaded roster
Any real clips fan (like me) doesn’t want anything to do with KD. We’re good.
If I was Brooklyn I’d make him play out the contract. These weak owners keep caving. Kyrie and Durant could win the title this year and then Irving would resign
If the return is historic you move him. If not you run the risk of being a future bottom feeder with no picks.
CAp room can be better than picks
Raps Trade:
Raptors get: Durant
Brooklyn gets TOR 4 FRP + swaps, Port FRP, 2027 LAL FRP, S. Sharp (#7 pick), Hart or Bledsoe, THT, Nunn, Birch
Portland gets: OG A.
Lakers get: Gary Trent Jr.
This would be a reset trade heavy on picks, obviously cut out the other two teams if they want to hold onto OG and Trent.
No way this happens.
Toronto loses 4 first round picks, Gary Trent Jr, and OG? Yeah, not happening.
If anything Toronto would offer Siakam and picks but they’re not going to blow up the team and future for KD. No team should.
Adding Durant also puts you at the top of the list for the ring chasers.
The Raptors is an interesting fit. Rhe trade you proposed isn’t terrible but it’s not enough for the Nets.
I have a feeling Kyrie and KD get dealt in one huge massive multi team trade.
One thing not mentioned here, worth pointing out, are we sure Sarver will pay for KD to be on the books at the max, while also paying Booker, CP3 and a full roster? Seems like a lot of luxury tax for an owner with a history of sabotaging the franchise with his frugality.
Spurs have picks, room, wings. I cannot believe they would just give up like the indications are. But there would be nothing left after salary matching. Too late.
This trade request is wacky. Durant should wait a year. Has he given up on Irving? Any team that gets him will deplete themselves getting him. Not just future picks but the roster.
Madness.
If Brooklyn is looking for a “historic” return the only team that has enough good picks is OKC. However, Durant obviously doesn’t fit into their plans since he could almost be the father of most of their team.
He’s 34, injury prone, has an attitude and is very sensitive, hasn’t won anything without Steph…..not worth it.
Over/under 1.5 seasons at his next team
Lowry, Herro, Strus, 2-3 1sts, and pick swaps for Kevin Durant? Heat bring back Dragic in that scenario, keep Oladipo, and give Caleb Martin $6-7 million of the midlevel, sign Paul Millsap, and sign another wing shooter. Bam isnt going anywhere. Throw in Jovic if you have to. Dont think they’d be able to really add anything else to that
His asking places are Phoenix and the Heat, but would Phoenix give up Mikail Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, Dario Saric, 3 1st round picks for KD? What would he be even coming to at that point? He and Chris Paul would be on an island alone defensively. You could try to add pieces around that with what’s left out there, but there isnt that much without getting creative…
If anything, I think I there are a few other spots that make more sense/have arguably more than the Heat to give up. Okc is an obvious one, Spurs, even though they just over Dejonte Murray, who could have been part of this, New Orleans, Golden State, and Toronto all have really interesting offers they could make. I could see a surprising team like the Clippers, but I dont think that happens. For me, I think the Heat actually have a legit shot at this…
That being said, if I’m Brooklyn, I have him for 4 years. I’m not trading him anyway. They’re building a pretty good roster around Durant and Simmons, and obviously its possible Steve Nash just screws it up again, but I still think staying healthy, they theoretically have things they can do, and as an organization, how are we under pressure to trade someone b/c they asked, after FA already has started
The deals you could get for him are for sure a lot, and you could still put together a really strong roster, but I’m not just taking anything. It has to be a lot, like the 2 types of deals I mentioned
If the Suns give up Booker for Durant they’re officially a cursed franchise. Phoenix giving up one of their best young players? No damn way. If Jones actually does that he should be fired on the spot.
They will not make that trade and they can’t because of Simmons being on the Nets roster. They can’t trade for him or MPJ/Jamal Murray, etc. etc. Those player that have rookie contract extensions.
Forgot about that. NBA contract rules are weird.
The Nets think they have all the leverage for some unknown reason. Once a player requests a trade, the leverage decreases significantly. Hope they’re ready for a KD holdout.
The better question here is WHAT / WHO are the players looking to run away from? Is the the Brooklyn Execs? Nash as their HC? Or maybe Kyrie “all about me” Irving?
Durant, Irving & Harden all wanted to play together. Become the latest “big 3” but they are all abandoning ship. Irving only picked up his player option as he saw the writing on the wall that he would not get more money somewhere else. You know he still wants to leave and play for the Lakers
What are they running from?
Its either Kyrie or its Kyrie.
There should be a rule that if you don’t honor your contract that you get banned from the NBA for life. That would stop these players from sitting out or trying to switch teams while under contract all the time
Are we then banning all GMs for life who try to trade players too then? Contracts are two way streets, kiddo
If they seek “historic” they’ll get nothing. If they seek “fair” they’ll get quite a bit. KD is KD, don’t get me wrong. But his best years are behind him.