Woj: Kevin Durant Hasn't Told Nets He'll Request Trade If Kyrie Irving Leaves

A Kyrie Irving departure from the Brooklyn Nets reportedly wouldn't guarantee the same fate for Kevin Durant.

"I'm told that Kevin Durant has not told the Nets that if Kyrie Irving leaves, that means he's going to ask for a trade," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported. "What Kevin Durant wants to know … what would a reconfigured Nets team look like? How would they try to reshape the roster so that the Nets would be able to return in the near-term and have a championship contender?"

There has been no shortage of buzz about Irving and the Nets in the lead-up to Thursday's draft.

Wojnarowski reported the seven-time All-Star would consider going to the Los Angeles Lakers, L.A. Clippers, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers in sign-and-trade deals if he and Brooklyn fail to reach an agreement on a longer pact.

However, the report included the major qualifier that some of those teams may not reciprocate Irving's interest.

The 30-year-old has until Wednesday to make a decision on his $36.5 million player option for the 2022-23 season, and declining it may put him in a situation where he makes significantly less money than he could in Brooklyn.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported there is still "ground to cover" because the Nets want a short-term deal with incentives, while Irving is looking for a longer commitment.

Frankly, Durant may be Irving's biggest leverage play. If the two are a package deal, that would give Brooklyn much more reason to ensure the latter remains with the team, and Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that some around the league are "rooting for Irving to opt out and walk away from the Nets, believing it would give them a chance to cobble together trade packages to acquire Durant."

Yet Thursday's report that Durant may not ask for a trade is notable because Brooklyn could still contend with him as one of the best players in league history, as he has a resume that includes two championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, a league MVP, four scoring titles, 10 All-NBA selections and 12 All-Star Game nods.

That would be even more the case if Ben Simmons returns to form as a two-way difference-maker after not playing this past season.

What's more, Brian Windhorst reported on ESPN's Get Up that Irving may just be looking to "apply pressure to the Nets," and "no teams [are] making moves right now to try to clear space to try to make a path to give [Irving] a big contract."

If Durant isn't necessarily going to ask out if Irving leaves, the point guard may not have quite as much leverage as initially thought. That is especially true after Brooklyn was swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics and he was generally unreliable during the season while appearing in just 29 games because he remained unvaccinated against COVID-19.