The Brooklyn Nets reportedly received a lot of calls from teams around the NBA inquiring about Kevin Durant’s availability. The 2x NBA champion shocked everybody when he requested a trade from the Nets right before the start of 2022 free agency, with every other franchise in the league trying to acquire his services.
Almost two months later, the player backpedaled in his request and decided to move forward with the Nets, as they’re still hopeful that they can do great things in the association. Following this decision, we’ve learned more details regarding KD’s trade request and which teams actually picked up the phone to contact the Nets.
Shams Charania of The Athletic has revealed that even the closest teams to the Nets were interested in Durant, although they never materialized a move. Talking on the STUpodity podcast, Charania mentioned that the New York Knicks were one of those teams that asked about KD, but as we know now, nothing happened after that.
“I think there were calls made. The Knicks did make calls on Kevin Durant from what I’m told, but I think both sides were cognizant.”
Other teams like the New Orleans Pelicans, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies, and even the Golden State Warriors were mentioned among candidates to land the 2x NBA champion.
In the end, the Nets couldn’t find an offer that pleased them, which would have been their plan all along. However, many GMs didn’t miss the chance to at least ask about the Nets’ asking price for their superstar.
Now, things are set for Brooklyn to reclaim their position on the list of candidates to come out of the East next season. Durant is keen to prove that he can lead this squad to the promised land, but more things need to fall into place so he can compete with the Nets.
With Kyrie Irving apparently locked in and Ben Simmons returning after missing out the entire 2021/22 season, KD knows he has a solid cast to help him win it all this upcoming campaign. Last season, Durant posted 29.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 6.4 APG in 55 games, shooting 51.8% from the field and 38.3% from beyond the arc.
The Knicks missed the opportunity to land Durant in 2019 and tried to make things right this summer. However, nobody could convince the Nets that their trade offers were the right ones.
