The 2019-2022 Brooklyn Nets truly will be the biggest what-if team in NBA history. Last week, a contractual dispute between Kyrie Irving and the Nets started to give Kevin Durant a wandering eye. Now Durant has reportedly asked for a trade, according to Shams Charania.
Several teams must have been preparing for this moment after last week’s reports of Durant’s uncertain future in Brooklyn. Last week, we discussed Irving’s potential trade destinations and how his departure could trigger an immediate rebuild for the Nets. Durant is still one of the best players in the league and maintains enough trade for the Nets to extract every asset playoff teams have to offer. The HoopsHype staff voted Kevin Durant as the 13th best player in NBA history, which would make him the second-best player to ever get traded in the modern era under Shaquille O’Neal.
Unless traded to a team with enough cap space to fit Durant’s $44.1 million salary, the magic number for over-the-cap teams to acquire him is $35.2 million. assuming a deal gets done in the 2022-23 league year. Durant may not have the ultimate say towards which team he goes to considering he has four years, $198 million left on his deal, but the veteran superstar would likely still get to one of his preferred teams.