NBA Trade Rumors: Even if the speculation rises, there’s no way the Brooklyn Nets are – or can – trade Kevin Durant ahead of the deadline.
Sorry, Stephen A. Smith, but there’s no way the Brooklyn Nets are going to trade Kevin Durant ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline. For as much as your ESPN show would appreciate such a move, it’s not something that makes any sense on any level.
For reference, SAS said on ESPN’s First Take that he was hearing that KD could be on the move soon. As in he could be traded at the NBA Trade Deadline. He even mentioned the Boston Celtics as a team to watch.
Just a few days before the deadline, if there’s one thing we can rule out, it’s the Nets trading Durant. It’s simply not going to happen. And I’ll tell you why.
The Brooklyn Nets trading Kevin Durant doesn’t make sense
If the Nets wanted to trade KD, they would’ve done so during the offseason. They had months to pursue a trade for KD, even after his trade demand, and they elected against it. What has suddenly changed between then and now? Nothing. Kyrie was as unpredictable as he was then and the writing was on the wall that he was not going to be a part of this team in the long run when they didn’t give him the contract extension he was asking for during the offseason (before he opted into the final year of his deal in Brooklyn).
At least from a front office standpoint, there’s not much that has changed for the team and their aspirations. That much was clear when they found a deal of their liking for Kyrie so quickly. That tells me this is not only something that was somewhat expected but also something that perhaps the team was preparing for behind the scenes.
So what’s the next logical move? Well, I’ll tell you it’s not to trade KD. If they didn’t fall for that move when he asked for a trade during the summer, they’re not going to all of a sudden trade for him now.
So what are the Nets going to do? What any other logical franchise would do – they’re going to try to make a move to surround KD with more talent and see how far this roster can take them. After that, who knows? They can reassess during the offseason and see where they are, with or without KD.
Could the Nets trade KD during the offseason? Sure. At this point, considering KD’s history, that actually wouldn’t be surprising. But at the NBA Trade Deadline? No way. It would be such a bad move for the Nets.
Why would they refuse to trade KD when they have months to negotiate the right deal only to rush toward a deal for him in a few days? It makes no sense. KD will be a Net for the remainder of the season. Beyond that, who knows? At least for now, don’t expect the Nets to trade KD.
Sorry, SAS.