NBA Trade Rumors: 5 teams who can rescue Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets
By Ian Levy
Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Nets this offseason but eventually backed off. With Kyrie Irving’s new trade request, Durant may also be looking for an exit.
Just a few weeks ago the Nets were riding high. On Jan. 2, the Nets beat the Spurs 139-103 for their 12th straight win, pushing their record to 25-12, the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Over the next month, they’ve gone 6-8, falling to fourth in the East, seen Kevin Durant miss 11 games with an MCL sprain and the All-Star Break as the earliest projected return date, and now received a trade request from Kyrie Irving.
The Nets already went through this before the season began. Kevin Durant requested a trade and fielded offers on both him and Irving before eventually bringing everyone back to the table. Irving has forced the Nets’ hand and they may have a hard time finding appealing trade offers without much leverage.
On one hand, this feels like a sign that this Durant-Irving experiment may have run its course and it’s time to trade both and pivot to a hard rebuild. But the Nets also had a formula that was working — a strong defense and a group of solid role players around the shot-making of their stars. There’s a chance they could get a package for Irving that satisfies Durant, keeps them competitive this season and gives them the chance for a quick reset in the offseason to jump right back into contention.
But if they do decide to move Durant they could basically sift through the best offers from all 30 teams and take their pick.
Which teams could offer the best trade return for Kevin Durant?
5. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors were one of the teams rumored to be strongly in pursuit of Durant after his original trade request and if anything, their current situation makes them more likely to push their chips to the middle of the table.
The Raptors have been struggling and essentially key player has been mentioned in trade rumors over the past few weeks. They could offer the Nets a compelling package of picks and young players — some combination of Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., Fred VanVleet or OG Anunoby — and still have enough of talent in place for a contending supporting cast around Durant.