Kevin Durant trade request: Which teams were the frontrunners to land the disgruntled forward during the 2022 offseason?
Prior to the 2022-2023 NBA season, Brooklyn Nets superstar forward Kevin Durant requested a trade out of Brooklyn and came fairly close to getting traded.
Durant’s initial trade request came on June 30, 2022. The reason for his trade request was related to instability in the Nets’ organization. According to multiple sources, the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, and Toronto Raptors were the teams most widely connected to Durant throughout the offseason.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania first broke the news of Durant’s trade request on June 30.
“Kevin Durant has requested a trade out of Brooklyn, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium,” Charania tweeted.
Kevin Durant has requested a trade out of Brooklyn, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Less than 10 minutes later, Chris Haynes reported for Yahoo Sports that the Phoenix Suns were Durant’s preferred trade destination.
“Kevin Durant has the Phoenix Suns listed as a preferred trade destination, league sources tell @YahooSports,” Haynes said.
Kevin Durant has the Phoenix Suns listed as a preferred trade destination, league sources tell @YahooSports.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski added that Durant was interested in both the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat.
“Phoenix and Miami are among two of the teams that Kevin Durant has on his wish list, sources tell ESPN, but the Nets plan to move Durant where they can get the best possible deal,” Wojnarowski tweeted.
“With four years on his contract, there's no shortage of teams willing to unload assets for Durant.”
Phoenix and Miami are among two of the teams that Kevin Durant has on his wish list, sources tell ESPN, but the Nets plan to move Durant where they can get the best possible deal. With four years on his contract, there's no shortage of teams willing to unload assets for Durant.
After weeks of trade rumors, Shams Charania later reported an update in August. Charania said that the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat were the teams that were the most persistent in trying to acquire Durant.
The Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat remain the most significant candidates to acquire Kevin Durant, per @ShamsCharania https://t.co/vXNSX7jmO9
The most heavily speculated deal that Brooklyn appeared the closest to accepting involved Boston's package centered around All-Star wing Jaylen Brown. However, Charania reported that the Nets still turned down the offer and asked for additional assets.
“The Boston Celtics have offered a Jaylen Brown package to the Nets for Kevin Durant, which Brooklyn turned down and countered,” Charania said.
Sources: The Boston Celtics have offered a Jaylen Brown package to the Nets for Kevin Durant, which Brooklyn turned down and countered.
Full details on a potential Celtics-Nets mega-deal to be had, latest on Donovan Mitchell and more at the Inside Pass: theathletic.com/3446562/2022/0…
The Nets' final asking price was ultimately deemed too high for teams to match. Adrian Wojnarowski later explained that teams did not want to blow up their rosters for the aging star. Durant was about to turn 34 at the time.
“They don't just want a star young player. They want all of your picks. They want more. They want a trade package that would be up there with the very deepest in terms of assets that we have seen in this modern era,” Wojnarowski said.
“That right now is why there is not a deal because teams are not bidding against themselves right now.
“Teams are not so far willing to just gut their rosters for Kevin Durant because obviously as much as they might want Durant, they want to believe they could still win a championship and it would have enough left after doing a trade to acquire him.”
This prompted Kevin Durant to have a meeting with Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai. Durant reportedly told Tsai to choose between him, and then-coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks.
“In a meeting with Nets owner Joe Tsai, Kevin Durant reiterated his trade request and informed Tsai that Tsai needs to choose between Durant or the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash, sources say,” Charania reported on August 8.
In a meeting with Nets owner Joe Tsai, Kevin Durant reiterated his trade request and informed Tsai that Tsai needs to choose between Durant or the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash, sources say.
Story: theathletic.com/3485297/2022/0…
Tsai responded on the same day by publicly voicing his support for the Nets’ front office and coaching staff.
“Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets,” he tweeted.
Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.
All of this coincided with Durant giving in and rescinding his trade request on Aug. 23, 2022, after almost two months of trade talks.
https://t.co/wQfhrKqUeM
Kevin Durant on his decision to stay in Brooklyn
Kevin Durant later spoke about his decision to stay in Brooklyn in an interview before the season.
“I felt like we had a good team. 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,” Durant said.
“To be honest, I thought the Nets were 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 Barclays. So I felt like regardless it’s gonna be an easy decision to come back and play because I love to hoop.”
He concluded:
“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.”
The Brooklyn Nets got off to a rocky 2-5 start this season, which led to the firing of Steve Nash. Assistant coach Jacque Vaughn then took over as interim head coach before being named the team's new head coach in November.
The Nets have been trending up since and are currently on a six-game winning streak. They now sit at 19-12 and fourth in the Eastern Conference, with Durant playing as well as ever. KD has averaged 30.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.6 blocks per game on 56.5% shooting through 30 games.
Also read: Kyrie Irving in awe of Kevin Durant after milestone night