No KD to the Raptors? Nets announce they're keeping Durant
It appears that Kevin Durant isn’t going anywhere at all — at least, anytime soon.
On June 30, Durant requested a trade out of Brooklyn via the media. And while he never publicly spoke about the topic, he never quite took the time to deny it either.
But Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks had a statement published Tuesday morning that seemed to put the end to the trade talks.
“[Nets head coach] Steve Nash and I, together with [owners] Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday,” Marks said in the statement. “We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn.”
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 23, 2022
Of course, a trade could still materialize if the right package comes along, but it seems like the Nets have hung up their phones for right now.
The Toronto Raptors remained a front runner from day one to land Durant, though it became clear they wouldn’t even consider including reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes in a trade.
This stance became commonplace amongst the front runners such as Boston, Phoenix, and more recently, Memphis, as teams recognized the potential of adding a Hall of Fame-calibre player like Durant, but grew weary of the possibility of either a) giving up too many assets in the trade they’d be risking their long-term future and b) the expected decline of the 34-year-old on the remaining four years of his contract.
Durant averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 55 games in 2021-22, while making the All-Star game for his 12th time. But the Nets were swiftly swept out of the first round of the playoffs, and faced a plethora of off-court issues this season.
Namely, Kyrie Irving’s refusal of the COVID-19 vaccine mixed with now-lifted mandates in New York City and elsewhere limited the star point guard to just 29 games this past season.
Additionally, nine-time All-Star James Harden left midseason to Philadelphia in a blockbuster trade centred around Ben Simmons, who has yet to take the court as a Net for undisclosed personal reasons related to his mental health.
The Raptors are slated to visit the Brooklyn Nets on October 21, the first matchup of the two teams this season.