Kevin Durant has officially requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, effectively ending a weird era, and basketball fans everywhere are losing their minds.
The NBA offseason can sometimes feel predictable, but this is anything but that. You are going to see some wild trade ideas on your timeline, however, many of those are unserious. What is serious, though, is that the Nets may get a massive return for KD. Who could that player be, though?
Even though Durant is a superstar, most teams simply aren’t going to shuffle the deck and move their franchise cornerstone. As such, it’s unlikely we see two megastars traded for each other.
So we can probably assume that the following players are staying put: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Trae Young, Ja Morant, Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, and LeBron James. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jaylen Brown probably fit in this category, too.
Meanwhile, younger franchises with an emerging star are unlikely to make a move as well. As good as Durant is at basketball, it makes more sense to stay the course. So the following players will likely stay where they are, too: LaMelo Ball, Evan Mobley, Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham, and Jalen Green.
So where does that leave us? Here are the top players who may be included: