Woj: Nets Have 'No Traction' on Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving Deals
July 4, 2022
Despite Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's shared desire to be traded by the Brooklyn Nets, it doesn't appear that either of them will be on the move anytime soon.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that there isn't much momentum toward a trade for either star.
"So far right now, there's no traction really on deals with either Irving or Kevin Durant," Wojnarowski said on Sunday's episode of SportsCenter. "They'll develop over time."
Wojnarowski stated that the markets for both Durant and Irving are "slow-moving." However, he noted that the key difference between the situations is that Irving is "essentially on an expiring contract," so there's a only limited number of teams "who just need to improve their talent and can take some risk" by adding him.
Brian Lewis of the New York Post reported on Saturday that the Nets and Los Angeles Lakers were engaged in trade talks regarding Irving. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium told The Rally that the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks are also pursuing the seven-time All-Star point guard.
As for Durant, he's likely to have no shortage of suitors, but it won't be easy to meet Brooklyn's asking price. Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that the Nets are "seeking a combination of the best assets from teams, including any All-Star player(s), rising young players with All-Star potential and substantial unprotected draft picks and pick swaps where applicable" in exchange for the former NBA MVP.
Wojnarowski noted the possibility remains that the Nets can hold on to both of them for the start of next season, but he said the team is prepared to find the right deals to ship them away and acquire assets.
"Both of these processes could play out, and they don't have to trade either. They're both under contract; they can bring them back to start the season," Wojnarowski said. "I don't think that's the ideal scenario for Brooklyn. I think it's try to find a way to get the biggest haul of assets they can. But again, there's a lot of time left in this offseason, and a lot more talks that are coming."