The Kevin Durant trade saga has been all over the offseason. Ever since the Brooklyn Nets superstar demanded a trade from the team he helped to build, fans and pundits have been busy discussing the possible destinations for the 2-time Finals MVP.
While it has already been more than a month, the Nets haven’t engaged in any significant trade talks, though. Despite multiple teams being interested in the forward, the Nets have been pretty determined to find the best offer possible for the forward. Given that the Minnesota Timberwolves gave multiple assets for an All-Star player in Rudy Gobert, the Nets are expecting many more assets for an MVP-caliber player like Durant.
But many people in the NBA community have been critical of the Nets because of their stubborn approach. Given that Brooklyn reportedly wants two All-Star caliber -players in return and reportedly asked for Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for a potential KD trade, people are blaming the Nets are simply playing hardball because they want to keep Durant.
A recent viral post, though, certainly puts things into perspective. Recently, a fan shared the incredible wild details behind the Los Angeles Clippers trade for Paul George. Back in 2020, the Clippers had an ambitious plan to put together two superstars, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, on the same team. While Kawhi was a free agent signing, PG13 was traded in from the OKC Thunder.
Everyone keeps asking why the Nets want so much for KD…
Remember what Paul George got traded for?? 😭 pic.twitter.com/KRX5dm3itq
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) August 12, 2022
In the trade, OKC received a talented guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and a whopping 5 first-round picks from the Clippers. This was certainly a ridiculous amount of assets given for a player and set a precedent for trading a superstar talent.
Given that the Thunder could get so many assets back in 2020, it is easy to see why the Nets are playing hardball right now. With a Durant trade, the Nets will realistically kick off a rebuild, and gaining assets and young players will be the best way to do it. Unless the team gets a satisfying number of assets, it looks unlikely that Durant will be traded soon.
