As one of the best players on the planet, Kevin Durant was supposed to command the largest trade package in NBA history. Instead, weeks after making his initial trade request, the 2x Finals MVP remains on the Nets roster and has apparently made peace with returning to play for the franchise.
It’s a turn nobody saw coming at the start of free agency, and many are wondering what went wrong.
According to the words of one rival GM, there is a lot of doubt that Durant can even win another title without the help of Curry and the Warriors.
(via Sam Amico):
“Everyone pretty much knows KD probably isn’t winning any titles, not without Steph, which is why no one wants to mortgage the farm for him.”
Rival GM to https://t.co/gYiqMcukIX: “Everyone pretty much knows KD probably isn’t winning any titles, not without Steph, which is why no one wants to mortgage the farm for him.”
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) July 19, 2022
Durant listed the Suns and Heat as his preferred destinations, but both teams would have to gut their depth to land him. For a player like Durant, some might think it’s worth it. Clearly, not enough teams feel that way right now.
Despite all the talent KD has, and the impact he makes on the court, he hasn’t shown that he can win a championship on his own, outside of Steph Curry’s umbrella.
In Oklahoma City, he only made the Finals once and lost the series pretty badly to a LeBron-led Heat team. In Brooklyn, dysfunction and chaos have defined his tenure and the Nets haven’t been much of a threat in the East.
Couple those facts with the ultra-high price and it kind of makes sense why teams are hesitant to make a move.
“He is under contract for four years and my sense is the owner is willing, unless they get a deal for Kevin Durant, he is willing to have an uncomfortable situation,” said Adrian Wojnarowski on Durant’s value in the trade market. “Brooklyn is trying to trade Kevin Durant and you look at the marketplace, five first-round picks for Rudy Gobert or whatever Donovan Mitchell might fetch. I think the hard part for teams is ‘Maybe we can get Kevin Durant in a trade, but will we have enough to win a championship?'”
As of right now, the consensus is that the former MVP will be headed back to Brooklyn next season whether he likes it or not. The situation is the same for Kyrie Irving, who has earned even less trade interest than his co-star.
Unless something changes, the silence we’re hearing now will continue into August and maybe into training camp in the fall.
