This NBA offseason has been much busier for the Brooklyn Nets than they could have imagined. They came into it knowing they had to make some changes to the roster following a quick exit from the postseason.
After needing to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the NBA Play-In Tournament, the Nets were swept in their first-round series by the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. It was an embarrassing loss given the expectations of the team heading into the season.
Reshaping the roster around Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving was the goal, but now they are unsure if those two will even be on the team come opening day. Durant made a trade request to the team right before the free agency moratorium began and Irving’s status is a bit in limbo as well.
The franchise would love to have both players back and committed, focused on challenging for a title this upcoming season. But, at this point in time, it is anyone’s guess if that will occur as there are trade rumors still floating around both of them.
The asking price for Durant has been made crystal clear. The asking price is astronomical and unless Brooklyn is blown away by an offer they are going to wait things out. When it comes to Irving, the asking price wasn’t as clear until recently.
According to Marc Stein on his Substack, the Nets have now set the barometer of what they are looking for in exchange for Irving. If they trade him, they want to ensure they are getting back pieces that will help them remain competitive right now.
“The Nets’ current stance, sources say, is that they are unwilling to send out Irving in a trade if the deal solely brings back future assets. They apparently want win-now talent in return to part with Irving, despite all of the turmoil that has engulfed the Nets for months.”
That is certainly a pretty big ask given how things have transpired for Irving the last few seasons with the Nets. He has been unreliable, missing significantly more games than he has played in and most of that being self-inflicted.
It would be shocking if any team were willing to part ways with anything the Nets would consider win-now talent. Irving’s value around the league is very low and if teams were willing to pay a premium price to acquire him, they would have done so before he opted into his contract for the 2022-23 season.
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