The offseason has already been incredibly wild, with a lot of news breaking across the NBA especially after free agency began. While several stars have signed deals that will see them return to their teams like Bradley Beal and Devin Booker, other superstars are looking to move franchises, none bigger than Kevin Durant, who isn’t even a free agent.
The Brooklyn Nets somehow falling apart has seen teams scrambling to find a deal that might land them KD, while the Lakers have been interested in Kyrie Irving for a while. None of these deals are straightforward, and as fans continue to speculate, many possible trades have been suggested.
Will Gottlieb on Twitter has put in his two cents, proposing a radical trade that would involve 5 teams and take a lot of superstars to destinations they have been linked with. His audacious deal involves the Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Indiana Pacers.
I solved the NBA pic.twitter.com/bjODVtfS8E
— Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) July 2, 2022
The Nets have been rumored to want 3 first-round picks and a young All-Star in any move involving KD, and if they managed to somehow land Donovan Mitchell and Deandre Ayton along with picks in a deal, that could be a massive win for the franchise. Kevin Durant would end up on the Suns like he reportedly wants to, while Kyrie Irving would rejoin LeBron James on the Lakers alongside Buddy Hield, who has also long been linked with the Los Angeles team.
They would be able to get off of Westbrook’s contract to Indiana, which has been speculated about before, and the Pacers would also get some picks and Cam Thomas to add to their roster. The Jazz would lose Donovan Mitchell but another huge haul of picks along with Mikal Bridges and Talen-Horton Tucker might be enough to get them to a deal if they decide to commit to a long rebuild.
There are some issues with it, primarily that the Suns might not want to part with that many picks along with Ayton and Bridges to secure Durant. There’s also the fact that the Jazz reportedly wants to rebuild around Mitchell quickly, so they might not be open to this considering they have a lot of picks. While it’s unlikely though, a trade like this would surely shake the NBA to its foundations.
