The Nets were moving forward with their roster after trading Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks, but Kevin Durant had other plans.
In the aftermath of Irving’s move to the Western Conference, the Nets initially informed interested teams that they were not planning on trading Durant before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET.
Nevertheless, things quickly changed when Brooklyn traded Durant to the Suns for a haul of first-round draft picks in a surprise blockbuster in the early hours of Thursday morning. It was apparently a fast-tracked deal that Durant wanted done.
“I can tell you that on Sunday when they traded Kyrie Irving they [the Nets] didn’t think they’d be trading Kevin Durant today,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Thursday on SportsCenter. “Because the Kyrie Irving trade was set up to support players around Kevin Durant and then Kevin Durant did not support it — and very clearly on Monday and Tuesday, he made it clear that he wanted to move on and they were facing a situation where they were in a rush job.”
On Sunday, Brooklyn traded Irving and veteran forward Markieff Morris to the Mavericks in return for guard Spencer Dinwiddie, forward Dorian Finney-Smith, an unprotected 2029 first-round selection, and 2027 and 2029 second-rounders.
It’s unclear what went on behind the scenes, though, Durant was either unhappy that his close friend was shipped off, dissatisfied with Brooklyn’s restructured rotation — or both. Not to mention, Durant played a part in getting Irving to Brooklyn in 2019.
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On Thursday morning, the Suns acquired Durant and Nets veteran forward T.J. Warren in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round draft picks, and a 2028 pick swap. The Nets will receive unprotected selections in 2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029.
Windhorst said he expects the Nets to make more moves ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline. Brooklyn is also expected to explore trade scenarios for Crowder before the deadline, according to ESPN.
Durant signed a four-year, $198 million extension with the Nets in the summer of 2021, and then requested a trade in June 2022 — only to recommit to the franchise in August. The Suns were a team at the top of Durant’s list before he rescinded his trade request.
At the time, Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement: “[Former head coach] Steve Nash and I, together with [owners] Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and [his manager and business partner] Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday. We have agreed to move forward with our partnership.”
It’s been a whirlwind season so far for Durant. Back in Brooklyn, he dealt with the aftermath of Irving’s November social media post that referenced an anti-semitic film, around the same time the Nets fired Nash.
The 34-year-old Durant has been out with a right MCL sprain he sustained in early January. Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said Tuesday that Durant got a “really good report” in his checkup with the doctor, but still hasn’t been cleared for contact.
When asked if Durant will be ruled out through the All-Star break, Vaughn said, “I won’t step over that line… but the days are adding up.”
Last month, Durant was named an All-Star for the 13th time in his career and an All-Star Game starter for the 11th time.
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