From the sounds of things, Nets star Kevin Durant will remain a Nets star at least for the rest of this season.
Despite a couple of rumors to the contrary, Durant is highly likely to remain with Brooklyn until after Thursday’s trade deadline, sources told Hoops Wire.
Of course, things can change, as they often do in the NBA. And a Durant trade demand may indeed shake up where the Nets are headed. For now, though, they remain committed to building a “win-now” team around him and trying to stay the course.
Durant has been linked to the Celtics (full post) and Suns (full post), and there’s been talk that he may be involved in the Nets’ ongoing talks with the Raptors. Those conversations are already said to include guard/forward Ben Simmons, center Nic Claxton and guard Spencer Dinwiddie, acquired as part of the Kyrie Irving trade with the Mavericks.
Multiple NBA insiders are also hearing and/or theorizing that Durant is staying put — for now. That includes Zach Lowe of ESPN.
“I’ve been saying since the James Harden trade, that it just feels like the inevitable end of this is that (Durant) asks for a trade a second time, having already done it for the first time,” Lowe said on The Lowe Post podcast, via RealGM. “I just don’t know how likely that is, or when it would happen.
“Around the league, I think there would be some surprise — even within the Nets — if it happened in the next few days. Because that’s an avalanche of stuff happening in a very short amount of time that all of the league needs to prepare for if it becomes a thing.”
Durant, 34, has been out with a knee injury since Jan. 9 but said he’s hopeful of returning before the mid-February All-Star Game. He is averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 39 games, shooting 56 percent from the field and 38 percent on 3-pointers,
Lowe Post/Hoop Collective joint podcast: @WindhorstESPN I and break down the Kyrie trade that happened and the ones that didn't; fit in Dallas; LeBron impact; KD impact; much more:
Apple: https://t.co/wngRibID9T
Spotify: https://t.co/vFe06VWANs
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 6, 2023
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