There was “ferocity” in the Nets front office Thursday night as multiple teams called with trade offers for Kevin Durant, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Sports Center ( Twitter link ).
The response around the league to Durant’s trade request was immediate and intense, with more than half the league making inquiries. Wojnarowski said that created an unprecedented situation in that some teams called Brooklyn with offers and then called later to increase those offers without receiving a counter from the Nets.
“There’s never been a player of Durant’s stature at this point in his career that’s been available for a trade, certainly in the modern era,” Wojnarowski said, adding that Brooklyn is seeking a “historic win” in return.
He reports that the Nets are basing their asking price on what the Clippers gave Oklahoma City for Paul George (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and five first-round picks) and what the Lakers paid New Orleans for Anthony Davis (Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks).
The Nets “want more than that,” Wojnarowski said.
There’s more on Durant:
- Watching the Warriors win championships played a role in Durant’s desire to leave Brooklyn, Wojnarowski said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” This fed into the narrative that Durant couldn’t win on his own and was trapped in a dysfunctional situation with the Nets. Durant reportedly asked for a “change of scenery” when he met with the owner on Thursday.
- Appearing this morning on ESPN’s “KJM,” Brian Windhorst cited a “high 90 percent chance” the Nets will honor Durant’s trade request and said any deal involving Kyrie Irving would likely have to wait until Durant is moved . Irving only wants to go to the Lakers, but that means the Nets would have to take Russell Westbrook, who makes about $11 million more than Irving, and working out other compensation for Brooklyn won’t be easy.
- On the Get Up, Windhorst predicted a Durant deal would involve at least three teams. He cited a potential trade between the Nets and Suns, saying the matchup isn’t perfect and both teams will likely hold talks to expand the trade and see if they can get the assets they want. Windhorst adds that it could “freeze business for a while” around the league as multiple teams consider getting involved. One advantage for Phoenix, Windhorst notes, is that it has control over all of its future draft picks and can offer up to four draft picks and three pick trades. That could encourage several teams to help facilitate a Durant deal. Phoenix is believed to be Durant’s preferred landing spot.
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