The Brooklyn Nets have been dominating NBA news headlines the last few days as news broke right before free agency kicked off that Kevin Durant had requested a trade from the team. Rumors have swirled since as people speculated where he could end up, but he is far from the only player involved in trade talks.
Brooklyn could also move on from Kyrie Irving and depending on the trade packages they are receiving, could be forced to trade Ben Simmons as well. Joe Harris and Seth Curry have also had their names circulate in a few rumors.
While trade talks have been the topic of discussion, the Nets haven’t stopped reshaping their roster. Minutes before the Durant news broke, Brooklyn acquired Royce O’Neale from the Utah Jazz for a 2023 first-round pick. They have also been pretty active in free agency.
They re-signed Nicolas Claxton and Patty Mills to two-year deals. Bruce Brown, Andre Drummond and Goran Dragic all left in free agency. In their place, the Nets have so far signed T.J. Warren and Edmond Sumner.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Brooklyn Nets Won’t ‘Rush’ Into Making Kevin Durant Trade
Acquiring so many wing players, it would be fair to presume the Nets are preparing for a world in which they do not have Durant in their starting lineup. However, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Brooklyn is operating as if they are bringing back Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for next season.
“The Nets are making moves in preparation as if they’re bringing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving back next season,” Charania said.
Given how things have unfolded in the last week or so, it would be genuinely surprising if Durant and Irving remained on the Nets’ roster heading into the 2022-23 season. Brooklyn in no way has to trade either player, but it is hard to imagine things going well with both of them seemingly having one foot out the door already.
This could be some posturing on part of the Nets as well. If they aren’t receiving offers that they like, they could use this as a tactic to get teams to improve their offers. The Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons went through a similar situation and eventually, both sides got what they wanted.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Brooklyn Nets Won’t ‘Rush’ Into Making Kevin Durant Trade
The Nets aren’t going to do Durant or Irving any favors. They will accept the offer that helps the franchise the most, not appeasing them. This is a situation that could very well drag out for months as the one thing that Brooklyn has is time when it comes to a Durant trade.
