“This isn’t 'Shark Tank,' you get one more shot” - NBA analyst says teams out of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes can easily swoop back in, says the Nets don’t want to drag this
Ric Bucher believes Kevin Durant will be traded before the start of next season, saying that trade talks may have ceased for the time being but will return.
Bucher said:
“Just because you have teams saying we’re out doesn’t mean they can’t say we’re back in. This isn’t 'Shark Tank.' You get more than one shot.”
Brooklyn Nets do not want to drag out Kevin Durant situation
Teams who have shown interest in Kevin Durant have yet to come back with a second offer. Boston is one of the only teams that put up a concrete offer to the Nets. After Brooklyn declined, the league questioned just how much the Nets are expecting for Durant.
“The problem right now with the Nets is because of the Rudy Gobert deal, they are asking for the sun, the moon, and a couple of stars,” Bucher said.
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert got traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for five players, four picks and a future pick swap. If the league had not known the caliber of Durant’s trade, they did after this.
Gobert’s value put into perspective just how much a team is going to have to put up for Durant. If it took that much to get Rudy, just imagine what Brooklyn is expecting.
Regardless of the fault of the offers, Ric believes that teams are simply waiting it out. There will come a point, in his opinion, where Brooklyn realizes they are going to have to drop the expected trade value if they do not want another season with an unhappy KD.
“They’re not gonna make their offers now because Brooklyn is asking for everything," Bucher said. "They’re going to wait until there’s a little more pressure on Brooklyn not to want to start the season with KD and Kyrie and Ben simmons" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Simmons.”
Starting a season with a new Simmons, a weary Irving and an unhappy Durant is a situation the Nets definitely do not want themselves in. As a result, the analyst believes that Brooklyn will drop its price as time goes on.
The teams that are already interested in Durant may simply just be looming, waiting for that moment to happen. Just because we have not heard more from interested parties does not mean they have turned their heads away from the situation.
“There are some teams that can make deals," Bucher said. "Some of them we haven’t heard of just yet. Boston suddenly bubbled up out of nowhere. There are other teams that are capable of trading multiple All-Star-type players and picks and getting Kevin Durant.”
There are, in fact, multiple squads that could spare a risk or two for KD. Regardless of some having spent a long time building, if what they created is enough for Durant, it might be worth it. Trading away your core or your future for someone like Kevin is a risk worth taking for most.