NEWSLETTER
With the NBA Draft and free agency officially behind us, the path has been paved for the Kevin Durant sweepstakes to heat up. But according to the latest, the opposite has occurred.
Since news dropped that Durant officially requested a trade on June 30th, legitimate deals have failed to surface. One big reason for that could be the fact the Phoenix Suns saw their primary trade chip recently come off the market. The Suns – who were rumored to be one of Durant’s preferred destinations – matched Deandre Ayton’s offer sheet from the Indiana Pacers, which means Ayton can not be sent elsewhere until at least mid-July.
The other organization initially named as a potential Durant landing spot, the Miami Heat, have also run into trouble. The NBA prohibits a team from acquiring two players who have received rookie-max extensions via trade. Since Ben Simmons was included in the James Harden deal earlier this season, the Nets would be unable to take back Bam Adebayo in a deal without simultaneously getting ride of Simmons.
On top of all that is a ridiculous market shift caused by the Rudy Gobert trade. The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired the Utah Jazz big man for one of the most overwhelming trade packages we’ve seen in NBA history, which included five players and four unprotected first-round picks. If Danny Ainge can get that much in return for Gobert, I think it’s safe to say Sean Marks will want even more in Brooklyn. But are we sure teams will be willing to empty that much of their asset pool? Especially if the goal is to win immediately with Durant in town?
For now, the answer appears to be no. Brian Windhorst recently spoke on ESPN about the Durant market, reporting that offers have really quieted down over the past couple of weeks:
“From what I understand, the trade talks for Kevin Durant have slowed to a trickle,” Windhorst said (h/t Talkin’ NBA on Twitter). “You can still get some Nets folks on the phones, if you want to make an offer, but they’re not aggressively, I am told, making outgoing calls … Kevin Durant is still a Net, and I don’t think that will change in the short-term future.”
Does any of this mean Durant will not be on the move over the next two months? Absolutely not.
The NBA is entering a naturally quiet portion of the offseason, and there is simply no rush to get a deal done right now. Regular season basketball is still roughly three months away, so why stress over a potential deal if you can think about it on the beach with a pina colada in hand?
Not to mention, NBA folks always feel more confident about their squads right after the draft and free agency. When the season actually inches closer, though, I have to imagine many front offices will begin to reconsider the massive pros that could come with acquiring Durant.
With that said, we could look back at this news as the first to suggest Durant will be a Net when the regular season tips off. Brooklyn has the right to demand the greatest trade haul in NBA history, and opposing teams also have the right not to meet those demands. It’s not hard to imagine this leading to a stalemate where Durant has no choice but to reconcile his differences with the franchise.
From a Bulls’ perspective, though, I’m still hoping Durant can find a new home, especially in the West. The sooner he is out of Brooklyn … the sooner the Nets become far less of a threat.
