NBA Summer League is a time for teams and fans to get a glimpse of their potential future franchise players, but for Kevin Durant’s future with the Nets, the superstar could be in Brooklyn longer than he wishes.
The NBA is in Las Vegas for the Summer League, which means front office executives are able to meet each other in person and discuss potential deals. Durant has reportedly requested a trade from the Nets, but Brooklyn are not willing to part with their All-NBA star for nothing — to the point of reportedly asking the Minnesota Timberwolves for a hefty price.
ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski broke down the situation Nets general manager Sean Marks finds himself in, and the likelihood of a trade happening during Summer League.
“Trades of this magnitude, for players like Kevin Durant, typically, they don’t come together quickly,” Wojnarowski said on NBA Today on Friday. “He asked for the trade after the draft. Sometimes the draft can be a deadline or the trade deadline. That’s not the case. We’re kind of in the open field of the season, and there’s no sense I think with the Nets or teams talking with the Nets that they have tremendous urgency or they’re trying to move this along quickly to find a resolution, get a deal.
“They want to get a deal. They want to get the best deal they can, but these things start — they take on a life of their own, and I think you’ll see more of those face-to-face conversations here in the coming week, in 10 days. But that doesn’t guarantee that there’s going to be a KD trade in Summer League, and remember, the Nets have Kevin Durant under contract for four years. And that is a pretty good reason not to rush into anything, maybe slow play this over time and look and see if you don’t have the kind of blockbuster deal you want, you don’t just make the trade.”
Durant’s four-year, $194.2 million contract, that he signed last offseason, kicks in this year, and the Nets are working out deals that may involve a third or fourth team to get contracts to work together.
The Timberwolves’ trade for Rudy Gobert also complicates things. Minnesota traded away four first-round picks to acquire Gobert, and the Nets will likely want a comparable or even larger package for Durant, but is a team willing to give away that much?
Former Nets general manager and ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks (no relation to Sean) noted the timing of Durant’s trade request and why teams aren’t willing to blow up their roster just yet.
“We’re in the offseason, and there’s no emotional element to it of it all,” Marks said. “No team has lost four games in a row. We’re still in the honeymoon period. It’s harder to make a blockbuster deal of this nature because everybody likes their roster right now.
“Now that changes when we get to November or December, and a team like the (Phoenix) Sun or even the (Toronto) Raptors, who are one of the favorites here, has gone a six-game losing streak and see Kevin Durant as that missing piece. And then, all of sudden, the asking price is a lot more in December than it is in mid July.”
Durant has listed the Suns and the Miami Heat on his wish list, but betting odds have slated Phoenix, the Nets and the Raptors as top three teams he’ll play for to start the season, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
Marks noted the Carmelo Anthony trade to the New York Knicks in 2011 didn’t happen until Feb., after trade talks started in Sept.
The Nets are also contending with a potential Kyrie Irving trade. The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as a strong suitor for the All-Star guard, which further complicates Brooklyn’s trade talks. It also shows why it’s likely a third or fourth team would have to be involved in trade discussions.
Despite all the hype of a trade, it’s likely Durant and Irving start the season with Brooklyn, and the Nets are able to execute a trade during the first few months of the regular season.
