Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving reportedly both know that it is unlikely they will be traded anytime soon.
Durant, who requested a trade prior to the start of free agency, is reportedly the only player in the duo who has formally asked out of Brooklyn.
“Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving ‘know’ a trade is unlikely and have accepted the reality that they may not be dealt anytime soon,” NJ.com’s Adam Zagoria wrote.
“‘They know behind the scenes that it’s difficult, that it’s unlikely to happen,’ a league source said, adding that ‘the Nets also knew that they’re going to make it so hard in the sense of the demands they’re looking for in return, no one’s going to meet that.’”
The Nets have a massive asking price for Durant, and rightfully so, which is going to make it hard for him to be dealt unless a team is ready to part ways with several key assets.
Irving, who opted into his player option for the 2022-23 season, would seemingly be easier to trade for in terms of asking price. However, it seems like there isn’t a huge market for the guard.
Durant, a 12-time All-Star, averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from beyond the arc last season for Brooklyn.
He is one of the league’s most gifted scorers, and he has a regular season MVP and two NBA Finals MVPs to his name. Since Brooklyn has him under contract for the foreseeable future, the Nets can take their time to get a deal done.
Irving, who missed a large chunk of the 2021-22 season due to his vaccination status, is still an elite talent on the offensive side of the ball. Irving averaged 27.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from beyond the arc last season.
The Nets seem unlikely to sell low on either of the two players, so it’s possible that resolutions for Durant and Irving won’t come until later in the offseason or even during the 2022-23 campaign.
