How does trading Kyrie Irving affect Kevin Durant & Brooklyn Nets' roster for 2022-23 NBA season?
Kyrie Irving has reportedly requested a trade once again, and now the Brooklyn Nets have a major decision to make. Kevin Durant, his teammate, is somebody to watch out for now as it's possible that he could be annoyed with what's going on in Brooklyn and asks to be traded once again.
Not only does somebody like Durant have to worry about what's going on in Brooklyn, but there are also other things that need to be talked about regarding the Nets. Irving's request could hurt the team's locker room and also change the team financially.
It's uncertain what Brooklyn would even acquire for Irving at this point. But there should still be players who are going to come back that could possibly fill his void. If that's the case, Durant might not want to move.
According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, teams are now interested to see what happens with Durant:
"Among rival teams, there's far more interest in inquiring on Kevin Durant's reaction to Kyrie Irving's trade request and how that may impact KD's future with the Nets."
Will Kevin Durant ask for a trade from the Brooklyn Nets?
Kevin Durant requested a trade over the summer during the Kyrie Irving mess in the offseason but then withdrew that request, saying he wanted to stay in Brooklyn.
"I felt like we had a good team," Durant said, according to The Nets Daily. "I felt like this is a place that I said I wanted to be, and we're starting to set something up in the future to be a solid team. To be honest, I thought (Brooklyn) was still a great option, too. I didn't want (a trade request) to get in the way of the games being played.
"I still love my teammates. I love playing at the Barclays. So, I felt like, regardless, it's gonna be an easy decision to come back and play, because I love to hoop. This has been a good environment for me the last two years, even though I had some doubts. But overall, looking at it, I still like to come in here and get work in."
Durant said this months ago, but that doesn't mean that his mind hasn't changed now. Because of everything that's happening in Brooklyn, he simply might think this is just too much for him and decide to move on from the organization as well.
He might be best friends with Kyrie Irving off the court and wants to move once he gets traded. The Nets have a huge decision to make about possibly working something out with Kyrie Irving or there is the potential of losing Durant as well.
There are going to be more rumors as the days go on leading up to Thursday's trade deadline, so interested teams are likely going to be on the phone as soon as possible trying to figure something out.
If Durant does get fed up and asks for a trade once again, nearly every single contending team in the NBA is going to be looking to acquire him.