It’s been a weird NBA offseason. Kevin Durant applied to be traded by the Brooklyn Nets just hours before the June 30 NBA free agency window opened. After that, the NBA was on a kind of hold, waiting to see what happens in the Durant situation. Several NBA teams continue to question what it takes to land the superstar forward from Brooklyn, but the same three teams remain at the top. While the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors have the parts to trade for the 12-time All-Star, they haven’t been able to strike a deal yet. Brooklyn is also said to be hoping to negotiate a way to keep Durant in the New York City borough.
To increase the odds of Durant returning to Kings County, the team plans to bring back their best friend in Kyrie Irving. Irving, who has had a tumultuous off-season with the Nets, has carved out a “good spot” with the franchise and is expected to be back. Brooklyn has also been linked with another coveted Durant teammate, with the possibility of them adding Carmelo Anthony this offseason. Marc Stein wrote about Brooklyn’s approach in his latest Substack column.
“Hope, they say, isn’t a strategy, but it appears to be the foundation of Brooklyn’s approach to Durant. League sources claim that the Nets have not yet lowered their asking price in response to Durant’s trade demand, and thus appear to be betting on the idea that Durant still has time to soften its trade-me stance and re-engage with the franchise that he has signed with for the next four seasons at $194 million. The Nets, as well as the rest of the league, therefore remain on a wait-and-see stance on Durant’s willingness to report to training camp in a timely manner and whether he’s willing to make things more awkward for the organization to spur trade talks.” stone writes.
There are several trades and free agent signings that appear to be contingent on potential Durant trades, and with September 26 training camp as the deadline, a decision could be forthcoming. Brooklyn hopes and negotiates with the star to bring him back. can you do it Durant lost confidence in the organization’s direction and gave the team an ultimatum to fire its general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash. Could the Nets bring Durant back without firing every one of them? They definitely hope so. If they do, they could be one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA.
In the same article, The Athletic’s Shams Charania covered Irving’s likely return to the Nets, new potential trade partners and now that Ben Simmons is ready for training camp and already cleared for 3v3.
“Simmons was cleared for three-on-three basketball activities after back surgery in May, and he is on track to be cleared for full five-on-five activities in the coming weeks, league sources say. The Nets and Simmons expect him to be ready for training camp by the end of September,” Charania wrote.
If Durant, Irving and Simmons headline it in Brooklyn, they have a team that could compete East again this year. They could become one of the NBA’s top Big Three if they play their first games together in the 2022-23 NBA season.
