A few notes on the Nets with NBA training camp less than two months away…
Late last month, multiple people familiar with the Nets’ Kevin Durant talks were pessimistic about the possibility of a deal getting done in the near future.
Part of the pessimism stemmed from the idea that, as of last month, there was little appetite in the market for teams to serve as a third or fourth team to facilitate a Durant trade.
“No one wants to help (Brooklyn get a deal done),” one team remarked.
As with all trade talks, things are fluid. So the dynamic can change at any time. But late last month one source familiar with the Nets/Durant dynamic said things were in a “holding pattern” based on past talks between Brooklyn and other teams.
Durant requested a trade from the Nets prior to the start of free agency. Days earlier, Kyrie Irving had opted in to the final year of his contract with Brooklyn after negotiations with the club. A few weeks after the season, GM Sean Marks said the club would be looking to establish a strong culture again following a first-round sweep by Boston.
After all of the comments, negotiations and trade discussions, is there any animosity between the Nets and their stars? If you are looking to read the tea leaves, Nets governor Joe Tsai recently endorsed a clip from the premier of Durant’s Point God documentary that included NYC point guards praising Irving.
A source close to Irving said this week that the seven-time All-Star is in a good place with the Nets and comfortable entering the 2022-23 season.
If the Nets bring back Irving and Durant, they’ll have one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference on paper. Irving, Durant, Ben Simmons, Patty Mills, Joe Harris, Seth Curry and Nic Claxton and the Nets' other returning players/additions make a strong roster.
Obviously, most of this hinges on the futures of Durant and Irving. The New York Post had previously reported that, amid trade discussions earlier this summer, Irving had every intention of playing for the Nets.