Kevin Durant Wants Out From Brooklyn, Requests a Trade

Just before the start of the NBA free agency, the bomb exploded. Kevin Durant has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets this Thursday, shaking the foundations of the league.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Durant’s agent, Rich Kleiman, confirmed the news, and currently, the Nets’ GM, Sean Marks, is working with the two to find a suitable trade deal.

Also, according to the same source, the Nets won’t look to complement Durant’s desires but are going to maximize their profit from the deal, which might put Durant in a bit tougher situation.

Per sources, Durant directly requested a trade from the Nets’ owner, Joe Tsai, today.

Kevin Durant has the Phoenix Suns listed as a preferred trade destination, league sources tell @YahooSports.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 30, 2022

The Nets appear to include the entire roster in the trade talks, meaning that they will start from ground zero in the 2022/23 season. Kyrie Irving, who declined a player option earlier this week, will be in the trade block as well, and it seems that Uncle Drew won’t be coming back to Brooklyn, despite the initial desire to stay at Barclays Center.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggests that Durant wants to force a trade to the Phoenix Suns, but after hearing that the Nets won’t be eager to make that happen at any cost, that might be a problem.

The only available big-time player in Phoenix is Deandre Ayton, who already had some disputes with the management regarding his max contract, but he alone won’t be enough to go to the Nets.

Miami Heat is also in the mix. They have enough valuable assets to make this deal happen, starting with Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, Victor Oladipo, and several other players. The insiders from the Nets’ organization claim the Heat is also a preferred destination for Durant if the deal with the Suns falls through.

The Memphis Grizzlies might be a suitable trade partner because there were some rumors that they want to see a big superstar in their locker room, and Durant fits those plans perfectly. The franchise from Tennessee has a very young and talented team, with lots of assets for the trade, and they too are among the top contenders for landing KD.

Him pairing up with Ja Morant and whoever is left in Memphis following a trade would make the Grizzlies immediate title contenders.

Caption this pic.twitter.com/7rtgzZFjMP

— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 30, 2022

Durant is frustrated in Brooklyn, and after three years of waiting, he wasn’t even close to attacking the title. KD missed the first year of his contract due to a ruptured Achilles, and in the second, he reached the East finals, but only to lose to the Bucks in seven games. Both Kyrie and James Harden struggled with injuries and Durant couldn’t compete with the Bucks alone.

This season, the Nets were the top favorites, but midway through the campaign, they lost Harden via trade and had a terrible period that saw them falling from the top of the East down to the seventh spot. Afterward, they lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Celtics, suffering a sweep.

KD scored 29.9 points in the previous campaign, with 7.4 boards and 6.4 assists. He was by far the best player of the Nets, but overall the team was limited in various areas.