Kevin Durant Trade Rumors: Nets Don't View Warriors' Wiggins, Poole as Centerpieces

It doesn't seem as if there will be a reunion between Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors.

The Brooklyn Nets star has been at the center of trade discussions for much of the offseason, and ESPN's Marc J. Spears reported on July 3 that Golden State was interested in bringing him back.

However, ESPN's Zach Lowe discussed the situation with Warriors reporter Kendra Andrews on his latest The Lowe Post podcast (h/t Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports) and suggested the Nets aren't interested in Andrew Wiggins or Jordan Poole as the centerpiece players in a deal even if draft picks and other young players are involved.

"The intel I have is that the Nets are not super high on Wiggins or Poole as sort of centerpiece players," he said. "Then you get to the other guys who are relatively unproven in the NBA. So I don't know if there ever really was a deal there that the Nets would have done. Obviously, you have to explore it if you're the Warriors."

Warriors general manager Bob Myers seemed to confirm there would be no Durant trade when he said on July 21, "I like our team and where it’s at. I want to give the guys a chance to do it again," per Mark Medina of NBA.com.

Durant played for the Warriors for three seasons from 2016-17 through 2018-19 and helped lead them to three NBA Finals and two championships. He was the NBA Finals MVP in both championship seasons and further cemented himself as a generational talent and future Hall of Famer.

Yet Golden State just won the title this past season with Wiggins and Poole playing major roles.

While they aren't as high-profile names as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, their team likely would not have prevailed without them. Poole provides instant offense with his perimeter shooting and playmaking abilities, even if Curry is on the bench.

He is also just 23 years old and figures to be a major part of the franchise's future.

Wiggins, 27, is a two-way impact player who took the pressure off the Splash Brothers by consistently defending the opponent's best player.

While Durant is one of the best players in league history, the Warriors will still be on the shortlist of realistic title contenders if they simply run things back with the majority of their roster intact.