"It's not an insult to say that you're not going to gut your team for Durant" - NBA insider opens up on what is deterring teams from trading for Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets remain at a crossroads. After requesting a trade as free agency began, Durant remains adamant about that desire.
It's been a difficult market for Durant, who still has four years remaining on his contract. Because of his contract and ability, the Nets have maintained an aggressive asking price. Acquiring a player of his stature is going to take a hefty sum. On ESPN's "Get Up," NBA analyst Brian Windhorst said that despite how great Durant is, it's difficult for some teams to want to "completely gut your team."
"We may not have the greatest era of super teams ever, but we've got some really good teams," Windhorst said. "You can make a case for four or five different teams winning, and so if you're going to build a championship team around Kevin Durant, you cannot completely gut your team to get there.
"And to this point, the Nets haven't just wanted draft picks, they've wanted star players, and teams just aren't willing to pay that price. And there's nuance buried in here, and I know that some fans understand it and maybe some fans don't. They think it's some sort of insult to Durant.
"It's not an insult to say that you're not going to gut your team for Durant. In some ways it's a compliment. It's saying, 'We think we can win a championship with you, so we have to have a championship team on the other side of the trade.'"
Will Kevin Durant suit up for the Brooklyn Nets?
The clock continues to tick for Durant and the Nets. At this point, it seems as if the chances of Durant at least suiting up for Brooklyn to start the 2022-23 season are rising.
Brooklyn has one of the league's most talented rosters, but its previous year was a colossal disappointment, getting swept in the first round of the playoffs.
Although Durant has requested a trade, many are wondering if he will at least return to the team to start the season. It remains to be seen if any of the reported suitors will go all in to acquire Durant.
An NBA executive believes Kevin Durant is more likely to retire than play for the Nets again, per @TheSteinLine
There’s a ‘growing expectation’ that KD could cause ‘a ruckus’ to get the Nets to make a trade https://t.co/ju01EPHIEM
Although still one of the game's top players, Durant has dealt with injuries over the last several seasons. Last season, he averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 51.8%.