Latest on Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving

Kevin Durant still wants traded and the Nets fully intend to find a taker. One thing is for sure — there is no shortage of interest.

But per Brian Lewis of the New York Post, the Nets intend to take their time to find a suitable deal. The same appears to be true of Kyrie Irving.

Right now, the Nets feel as if they have leverage in moving both Durant and Irving to where the team wants, as opposed to where Durant and Irving might want to play, per Lewis.

Durant still has four years left on his contract. Irving opted in to the final year of his deal. Theoretically, that gives Irving a little more say-so in where he wants to go next. But maybe not, too.

“Nets general manager Sean Marks and owner Joe Tsai had agreed to work with Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman to try to trade him to one of his preferred landing spots,” Lewis wrote. “But in the end, Durant and Irving are expected to be moved where and when it works best for Nets management.”

Durant has reportedly listed the Suns and Heat as he preferred spots. The Raptors also have plenty of assets, and perhaps interest, as recently relayed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Raptors president Masai Uriji has definitely made splashes before — trading Carmelo Anthony from the Nuggets to the Knicks back in 2011, and then acquiring Kawhi Leonard from the Spurs in 2018.

The latter resulted in Toronto’s lone NBA title.

That said, it sounds as if more teams and more rumors will soon follow when it comes the saga involving the Nets, Durant and Irving. 

One player the Nets seemingly hope to not involve, however, is sharpshooter Joe Harris, who has been mentioned in the Irving-to-the-Lakers rumors centered on Russell Westbrook.

“I know the Nets absolutely do not want to trade Joe under any scenario,” Lewis quoted a source familiar with the Nets’ thinking as saying. “But there are just thousands of different ways this can play out.” 

As for the Raptors and Durant, former NBA forward and current NBA analyst Richard Jefferson touched on the idea that the Nets might want back reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes in a deal for Durant.

“You could get Kevin Durant for four years!” Jefferson said on ESPN, via NetsDaily. “Are you kidding me? Scottie Barnes? I’d sent Scottie Barnes like … his dogs, I’ll pack them up myself … I’m giving Scottie Barnes a private plane. ‘Hey Scottie, I love ya, Congratulations on the Rookie of the Year,’ but I’m getting him everything to get and I’m not saying that in a negative sense. I’m saying look at the guy you’re going to be dealing with. Masai Ujiri who has been part of these blockbuster trades for superstars over the past.

“I would not be surprised if this one of those ones where Masai is like, ‘I’ve done this before. Shoot, I’ve done this a couple of times.’ If he’s willing to get rid of DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi, Scottie Barnes? That’s collateral damage for Kevin Durant.”