Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are departing for the Nets, and the Lakers are logically linked to the rumors. The two franchises could also set up an XXL exchange with a competitor, which would involve the two superstars as well as Russell Westbrook.
The Nets thought they were out of the woods, however, following the drama around Kyrie Irving. They had indeed won the standoff with the 2016 champion, who wanted a contract to the max before having to resign himself to activating his player option of 36.5 million dollars. Only here, the New York superteam seems despite everything condemned to implode this summer. Kevin Durant’s recent transfer request indeed shook up the microcosm of the big league.
The Black and White winger indeed seems to be fed up with this whole story, and would therefore prefer to set sail after only three years spent on the spot without convincing collective results (two eliminations in the conference semi-finals). He would also have two specific destinations in mind. As a result, his franchise may find himself forced to trade his other superstar in stride, if ever such a move were to take place.
Trade XXL entre Lakers, Nets et Suns
That’s good, the Lakers have not given up hope of getting the Brooklyn point guard, they who wanted to recruit him before he retracts. And as the Slim Reaper is on his side intrigued by the Suns, one could imagine that the leaders of the three teams agree on a transaction. Incidentally, this would allow the Pourpres et Ors to get rid of a player who has never convinced since his arrival last summer:
- The Suns receive: Kevin Durant
- The Lakers receive : Kyrie Irving, Landry Shamet
- The Nets receive : Russell WestbrookDeandre Ayton, two 2026 first-round picks (Lakers & Suns) and one 2028 first-round pick (Suns)
Such a deal would be huge, and it is also not certain that it can see the light of day. BKN have indeed announced that they are no longer interested in Ayton, the Cactus pivot having been on their radar for a while. That being said, nothing prevents the franchise from trading it in the process, in order to obtain additional assets. Enough to be able to completely rebuild from 2023, when the Brodie’s contract has expired. With a slew of draft picks at your disposal, anything will be possible.
Phoenix side, it would be the perfect opportunity to bring Durantula without having to part with Devin Booker, who has just extended for the supermax. The duo accompanied by Chris Paul would be simply terrifying, and would make the squad of Monty Williams more than ever a candidate for the title. Finally, LA would finally have its long-awaited reunion between Uncle Drew and LeBron James, while separating from the RW contract and putting an end to this failed experiment.
If the Suns, Nets and Lakers can agree on such an exchange, then we risk witnessing the biggest earthquake in history. Nothing is less certain for the moment, but the case will be to be watched very closely over the next few hours.
