A bolt from the blue falls on the Brooklyn Nets, with potential repercussions for the entire NBA: Kevin Durant has asked for the sale.
An earthquake of unprecedented proportions shakes the NBA. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets phenomenon, one of the best players in the league and in history, has officially asked to be sold. Just 48 hours ago, exercising the $ 36.4 million annual option to stay one last year in Brooklyn, Kyrie Irving had somehow satisfied the number 7’s desire for competitiveness NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, but apparently the cracks with the franchise went far beyond the requirement to retain the second best player on the team. Everything happened around 10 pm Italian time, without any hint in these days or weeks: KD wanted confirmation from Irvingthe Nets regardless of this had somehow tried to solve once and for all the many problems with point-guard by looking for a team able to offer an adequate counterpart and moving on, and in the end the player had opted for the annual renewal for then evaluate the market for free agency in the summer of 2023.
Everything hinted at some sort of armed truce between the parties, with the management intent on reinforcing the roster to try – with the return of Ben Simmons bought in February for James Harden – to reach the much desired ring. Just before the usual Adrian Wojanarowski and Shams Charania threw the bomb, Brooklyn had also added an excellent defensive winger like Royce O’Neale of the Utah Jazz, but within a few minutes everything changed and the franchise is now to have to indulge not one, but apparently two exchange requests, because faithful to their friendship both KD and Irving would be forcing their hand to change their tank top, without excluding the possibility of playing together again. The first, with very specific requests: Phoenix Suns e Miami Heat. However, the Nets will not necessarily satisfy the number 7, who incidentally, unlike many other superstars, has no veto power on exchanges not to his liking (the so-called no trade clause instead allows players to refuse unwanted destinations), for a simple reason: Phoenix does not want to include Devin Booker in the package, considered a fundamental asset by the Brooklyn management, and the possible DeAndre Ayton-Mikal Bridges combo does not make more choices for now breach in the heart of GM Sean Marks, grappling with yet another hot case after James Harden’s February trade request.
Yes, because what escapes is that this team 9 months ago started with the underdogs to win the NBA title, strong of the Big 3 Irving-Harden-Durant finally healthy (the year before the Barba and the point-guard were injured just before the Playoffs), but everything that happened in the middle has almost paradoxical, with an escalation of news that starting from the lack of vaccination and exclusion of Irving through his reintegration and the grumbling of Harden, until today, has literally destroyed a project that on paper seemed to be able to give so much satisfaction. And that in Brooklyn cost dearly, because while Irving had come from free-agent in the team and Durant in one sign-and-trade with D’Angelo Russell, the package sacrificed to get to the left-handed former Rockets was very salty and included the first choices 2022, 2024 and 2026 as well as 4 “swaps“(possibility to change choice with a team if the latter had a higher one) 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027. In addition, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert left for Cleveland and Indiana: present and future to win immediately and then find yourself in this hurricane.
It’s the night of Paolo Banchero, an Italian phenomenon at the NBA Draft (with the destiny already written)
Here because choosing well now the counterparts for Durant is fundamental: Brooklyn cannot start any reconstruction by creating a futuristic team but with a mediocre present because every bad year will bring choices to the Rockets: continuing to compete is the mantra for Marks. Meanwhile, at least half of the franchises seem to have already knocked on the door trying to strike up a trade, all within minutes of the official opening of the market. In the NBA, you never really get bored.
