NBA rumors: Bad taste from Harden deal could keep Kevin Durant away from Sixers

The Nets believe James Harden’s forced trade to the Philadelphia 76ers was somewhat conspired, which could hurt the Sixers chances of getting Kevin Durant.

It stands to reason that Kevin Durant could be moved by the Brooklyn Nets for the right price. Before the season began, Durant requested a trade only to rescind the request and agree to patch things up with the team since the trade market had been blown up by Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Now, given the circumstances around Kyrie Irving and his indefinite suspension, Durant probably wants out even more. After all, things are more chaotic and disheveled in Brooklyn than they were over the summer. Head coach Steve Nash was fired and the Nets sit at 6-8.

According to an anonymous executive in the Eastern Conference that spoke to Sean Deveny, the Nets aren’t excited to strike a deal with the Sixers, though they continue to inquire on the availability of Kevin Durant.

One of the factors holding them back is that they, according to the exec, feel the James Harden trade was somewhat conspired by the Sixers (Daryl Morey) and Harden.

"“There is no doubt the Sixers have asked on Durant, they did in the summer, and will keep asking about him,” an Eastern Conference executive told Deveney. “But the Nets are going to be a little put off by them already because of the Ben Simmons thing because they feel like they were set up to give away James Harden all along. So the Sixers burned them once, do the Nets want to go back and say, OK, sure, we’ll do a KD deal, too.”"

Nets will want strong value to surrender Kevin Durant in a trade

As with any trade, the Nets will want value commensurate with the talent they are sending out. They may want a premium on top of that, especially if it’s with the Sixers, since they already got Harden from them.

The Nets have invested a lot in the current era of Brooklyn basketball by signing Durant and Kyrie Irving. With Irving’s future in question with the team and the league, Durant may be their last repository to liquidate for talent and future assets to recalibrate and retool once again.

Expect it to be a huge deal if he is, in fact, moved.