Windhorst: Teams Reluctant to Trade with Nets amid Kevin Durant Rumors at Deadline

Teams are reportedly hesitant to engage with the Brooklyn Nets ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline because of uncertainty regarding Kevin Durant's future.

Speaking on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst discussed why the Nets are struggling to make headway on subsequent deals after trading All-Star guard Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks earlier this week.

Windhorst reported that some teams are interested in making a play for Durant either prior to the deadline or during the offseason, and because of that, they are reluctant to do anything that would help the Nets retain him, including trading quality players to be part of KD's supporting cast.

In addition to draft picks, the Nets landed guard Spencer Dinwiddie and forward Dorian Finney-Smith in the Irving trade, giving them plenty of ammo to make other deals if they can find a willing partner.

When Durant signed with the Nets in 2019, he was essentially a package deal with Irving. Brooklyn also acquired James Harden from the Houston Rockets during the 2020-21 season in hopes that the team could ride its Big Three to a championship.

Things have not gone according to plan, however, as injuries ravaged all three players, Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers last season and Kyrie was dealt to Dallas this week.

The result of the experiment was nothing better than an appearance in the second round of the playoffs, and KD is now the last man standing.

Durant has been out for about a month with a knee injury, but he is expected to return at some point this season. When he does, he will rejoin a team that is still in the thick of the playoff race, as Brooklyn is fifth in the Eastern Conference at 32-22.

If they can put some additional players around Durant, the Nets still have a chance to be contenders this season even in the wake of Irving's departure.

During the offseason, Durant reportedly requested a trade, but the two sides decided to remain together for the 2022-23 campaign when no strong offers emerged.

It remains unclear if Durant once again desires to be traded with Kyrie out of the picture, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Nets have told teams they have no plans to trade him before Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline.

Because of that, it is far more likely that a KD trade will go down during the offseason, so it is understandable why teams may want to hold their assets in order to make a run at one of the NBA's top players and one of the greatest scorers of all time.

If that factor prevents the Nets from being able to make a deadline move, it will be on the likes of Dinwiddie, Finney-Smith, Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton to serve as Durant's primary supporting cast members for the remainder of the campaign.