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Woj: Kevin Durant Trade Market 'Still Taking Shape,' Nets Trying to 'Outline' Package

Tim Daniels@@TimDanielsBRX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVJuly 5, 2022

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) reacts as his team trails during the second half of Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, Monday, April 25, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
AP Photo/John Minchillo

The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly taking their time while waiting on the trade market for superstar forward Kevin Durant to develop.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday on SportsCenter the Nets are seeking an All-Star player and several first-round draft picks in the blockbuster deal.

"I think the Nets are trying to create an outline for the rest of the league about the kind of package they would want back in a Kevin Durant trade," Wojnarowski said. "I think the Rudy Gobert trade to Minnesota started to frame that."

He added: "The market is still taking shape. I think it's incumbent on some of the other teams to be creative and start bringing to Brooklyn ideas, going out and seeing if they can get players, picks that would put the kind of package together it would take to get Kevin Durant."

Movement has been slow on the KD front since his business manager, Rich Kleiman, confirmed to Wojnarowski last week the four-time NBA scoring champion wanted a trade.

The Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns are among Durant's preferred destinations, but the Nets aren't planning to cater to his desires and plan to accept the most fruitful offer, per Woj.

One alternative that's emerged in recent days is a reunion with the Golden State Warriors, the reigning NBA champions, who he won back-to-back titles with in 2017 and 2018.

Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic reported the Warriors' core isn't pushing the front office to acquire Durant and would be fine trying to defend the title without a major roster move, but if something develops, the team's stars are "open" to the idea.

"I mean, it's freaking Kevin Durant," a source told Thompson.

Durant is coming off a 2021-22 season where he averaged 29.9 points, which was tied for third in the NBA, along with 7.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.1 threes while shooting 51.8 percent from the field.

The Nets couldn't overcome an endless cycle of drama, which included James Harden being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, Ben Simmons being unable to play following his arrival from the Sixers and Kyrie Irving being limited to 29 games because of issues related to his being unvaccinated against COVID-19.

KD is signed through the 2025-26 season on a four-year, $194.2 million contract, which creates potential salary-cap hurdles for interested teams but also represents the opportunity to acquire a long-term franchise cornerstone.

It appears the market is sluggish to develop as teams reevaluate their rosters after the draft and the early stages of free agency.

The action should pick up as training camp moves closer, though.