MILWAUKEE, WI - JUNE 13: Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during Round 2, Game 4 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs on June 13 2021 at the Fiserv Forum Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images).
NBA analysts have mixed opinions on whether Kevin Durant will show up at his best for the Brooklyn Nets next season
There is no sign of an end to the Kevin Durant trade controversy. A deal doesn’t seem to be close, despite the recent excitement the rumored Boston Celtics added as a potential trade partner for the Nets star. Just under two months remain until the start of training camps as we move into August.
The Nets are pleading for everything, hoping Durant would finally withdraw his request for a trade. Would KD be prepared to do a Ben Simmons and sit out until a transaction happens if that doesn’t happen?
People in the NBA feel Kevin Durant is “not built that way,” according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe. The reasoning is that KD likes to hoop a lot to miss games.
But this is only “speculation,” as Lowe also points out. Even though KD enjoys the game, it’s possible that in this situation, he may be content to sit out to obtain what he wants. Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons would make the Nets a title contender if they were healthy, so it would be strange, but perhaps the franchise well has become so poisoned that KD has lost interest in returning.
After all the commotion surrounding Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joining Brooklyn in 2019, it’s a crazy situation. Since then, the team has only achieved one postseason victory, and James Harden has already come and gone. Simmons hasn’t yet participated in a game for them. After a drama-filled 2021–22 season, Irving’s future with the Nets is quite uncertain, contributing to Durant’s trade request.
If the Celtics are prepared to put all their chips on the table, they make sense as a trading partner, but given that they are already title contenders, they might not do so. Deandre Ayton is currently not available from the Phoenix Suns. The Toronto Raptors do not want Scottie Barnes. The Miami Heat would prefer not to include Bam Adebayo, and if the Heat were willing to send Bam to Brooklyn, Simmons would have to be dealt.
There is still plenty of time, but it will be interesting to watch what Kevin Durant does if training camp comes and he hasn’t been moved yet.
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