With Kyrie Irving’s status up in the air, the Nets may find themselves in a worst-case-scenario situation. If the star point guard were to leave the team in free agency this week, Kevin Durant could grow unhappy in Brooklyn and seek a trade elsewhere. And any deal for the two-time champion would be absurdly steep.
According to the The Athletic’s Alex Schiffer, a source told him “look up the Anthony Davis trade to the Lakers and start there” when referring to what Durant would cost in this market. Back in 2019, the Pelicans traded Davis to the Lakers for a massive haul.
New Orleans received Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round draft picks including the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NBA draft when they dealt Davis to Los Angeles. Durant is in the conversation as the best basketball player in the world at this time so any deal for him would require similar assets. But it remains to be seen if he will try to make his way out of Brooklyn.
Irving has until Wednesday to make a decision on his $36.9 million player option for the 2022-23 season. If Irving leaves in free agency, the Nets and Durant could be forced to make some hard decisions.
