Durant Requests Trade From Nets—Ending Disappointing Tenure In Brooklyn

Topline

NBA star Kevin Durant told the Brooklyn Nets he wants to be traded Thursday, according to The Athletic and ESPN, setting the stage for a deal that shatters the league landscape and capping Durant’s highly anticipated time in Brooklyn without much team success.

Key Facts

The Nets are working with Durant to find him a new team, his agent Rich Kleiman told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat are early frontrunners to land Durant, Wojnarowski reports, though Brooklyn is looking to “get the best possible deal.”

Fresh off of a second-team All-NBA selection, the 33-year-old Durant is under contract for the next four seasons at $194 million.

Key Background

The second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Durant established as one of the sport’s most gifted offensive players ever as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, winning the 2014 Most Valuable Player award. Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2016 in another league-shattering move, winning two finals MVPs with the Warriors. Durant signed with Brooklyn in 2019, joining forces with Kyrie Irving and later James Harden in what was widely expected to be a roster good enough to contend for titles, but the Nets failed to achieve much in its three seasons with Durant under contract. Durant missed the 2019-20 season due to an Achilles injury and led the Nets to back-to-back playoff appearances in the following two seasons. The Nets’ 2021-22 season ended in a first round sweep and was nothing short of a disaster, causing rumors to swirl about Durant and Irving’s relationship.

What To Watch For

What the Nets receive in a trade for Durant. The 33-year-old will likely command a historic trade package rivaling what the New Orleans Pelicans received from the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis in 2019 when Los Angeles traded Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and three first-round picks for Davis.

Big Number

$92.1 million. That’s how much Durant earned last year, according to Forbes’ estimates, including $50 million in endorsements. Durant placed sixth on Forbes’ most recent highest-paid athlete list, only trailing LeBron James and Stephen Curry among basketball players.

Further Reading

The Ringer’s 2022 NBA Free Agency Primer (The Ringer)