Things are quiet in Brooklyn at the moment and the Nets would much rather it stay that way. Kevin Durant isn’t trying to leave, Kyrie Irving is actually playing, and the team has won eight of its last nine games to improve to 17-12, which is good for fourth in the Eastern Conference as things stand.
The Nets went through a worrying offseason and started 2022/23 in the same vein, with Steve Nash getting fired and Irving subsequently getting suspended.
For the time being, however, it appears it’s all smooth sailing under Jacque Vaughn, despite the head coach having to deal with a changing rotation due to injuries.
According to NBA Insider Eric Pincus, the Nets are being careful not to rock the boat as they want to avoid another saga with Durant, who demanded a trade in the offseason but ended up remaining with the team, mostly because no other team was willing to give up the assets required to sign a player of his caliber.
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Pincus also noted that the Toronto Raptors would be the organization most equipped to fashion a trade for the two-time NBA champion should he decide he wants out again.
“The last thing they want is to inspire another [Kevin Durant] trade demand,” he wrote, quoting an executive, before adding the following on his own.
“The market for Irving may be a team of one (the Lakers), but he still makes the list of interesting players to watch. If Durant did push out again, the Raptors may have the best combination of players and picks to offer. But that doesn’t look to be in the cards, at least as of mid-December.”
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The Raptors, who won a championship in 2019, have an exciting group of players the Nets would likely consider letting Durant go for, including Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., and 2021/22 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.
Whether they’d want to break things up to bring Durant in is something only time can tell, but it’s certainly something to consider.
