Is Kevin Durant Moving From Brooklyn Nets? If yes, where will he land?
33-year-old Brooklyn Nets star called a trade Thursday,a person with knowledge of the situation told USA Today Sports. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about a player’s trade request. ESPN and The Athletic were the first to report Durant’s request.
Should they trade Durant , the Nets could get a significant return that includes several first-round draft picks, young up-and-coming players, or some combination of the two. A blockbuster deal for Durant could be a great deal similar to what the New Orleans Pelicans got from the Los Angeles Lakers in the Anthony Davis trade.
Who Has the Roster Flexibility and Assets to Acquire Durant? Here are six possible landing spots in a business:
Phoenix Suns
According to Yahoo and ESPN, Phoenix is one of Durant’s favorite destinations.
The 64-win Suns have plenty of young players to trade, including banned free agent center Deandre Ayton, the first overall draft pick in 2018 who didn’t receive a rookie contract extension from the franchise in the 2021–22 season.
Durant is also familiar with Phoenix All-Star Devin Booker and has openly praised him on Twitter as a “certified bucket”. They won the gold medal together in the 2020 US Olympic men’s basketball team in Tokyo. Suns coach Monty Williams also previously worked with Durant as an Oklahoma City assistant in 2015–16.
Miami Heat
Miami is one of Durant’s favorite destinations, according to Yahoo and ESPN. The Heat finished with the No. 1 seed in the East, but lost to the Boston Celtics in the Miami Conference Finals. Is Durant the offensive weapon he needs?
The Heat may need to get creative to make the money work, and pairing Durant with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Kyle Lowry will make the Heat much heavier in terms of pay. But that core is a top contender in the East.
New Orleans Pelicans
After a late-season boom and a competitive first-round series against theIs.
When it comes to draft picks and promising young players, the Pelicans have a lot going for what could amount to a lucrative business proposition for the Nets.
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Toronto Raptors
Toronto is an interesting potential destination, as the Raptors can put together a lucrative trade package that will allow them to retain most of their top players. Along with Durant, the Raptors will be a strong contender in the East.
A big question will be whether the Raptors are willing to part ways with the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, Scotty Barnes. Toronto will do everything it can to retain Barnes, but Brooklyn will likely covet him as the focal point of any comeback for Durant.
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City Thunder
Another team flush with draft capital and young players, the Thunder have even more than the Pelicans. They can surely swamp the nets with a proposal. However, Oklahoma City will undoubtedly be one of the strangest places for Durant.
Will both sides be ready to reunite? It has been six years since Durant left the franchise, where he spent his first nine seasons. Perhaps some sharp tussle has faded away. From a court perspective, however, Oklahoma City isn’t ready to speed up its timeline with a win-win veteran like Durant.
Brooklyn Nets
Now that Kyrie Irving has picked up the Nets and Ben Simmons is “feeling unbelievable” after back surgery, can Durant stay on to give his Big 3 a shot?
Everything about the Nets has been completely unpredictable, so it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if Durant changes his mind and returns to Brooklyn. Durant’s friendship with Irving is said to be strong. Maybe his friend can convince him to come back to the nets.
