Kevin Durant Requests Trade From Brooklyn Nets

Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant is about to turn the NBA world upside down.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania is reporting Durant is requesting a trade out of Brooklyn.

Kevin Durant has requested a trade out of Brooklyn, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Nets are adhering to Durant’s request and working with the 11-time all-star to find a trade partner.

Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks is working with Kevin Durant and his business manager Rich Kleiman on finding a trade for the franchise star, Kleiman tells ESPN.

This news comes just days after fellow Brooklyn star Kyrie Irving opted into his player-option for the 2022-23 season, seemingly ending a wild weekend of speculation about the two stars’ futures.

As for his next chapter, Wojnarowski is reporting that the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns are possible destinations.

Phoenix and Miami are among two of the teams that Kevin Durant has on his wish list, sources tell ESPN, but the Nets plan to move Durant where they can get the best possible deal. With four years on his contract, there’s no shortage of teams willing to unload assets for Durant.

With only hours before the 2022 NBA free agency period opens, it’s unclear how a possible Durant sweepstakes will alter other teams’ plans and possible transactions.

UPDATE: According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, if a Durant deal goes down, Nets forward and three-time All-Star Ben Simmons will likely remain in Brooklyn.

Source close to the situation tells @TheAthletic that the Nets are expected to keep Ben Simmons. Some had rightfully wondered if there would be a ripple effect here on the 25-year-old’s Nets future.

However, in a contrasting report from Woj, he says “everybody” on the Nets roster is available on the trading block. This, of course, includes Simmons and Irving. Woj said on an ESPN telecast earlier today that it’s likely Irving is also traded.

UPDATE: ESPN’s Bobby Marks has pointed out an important contract issue for the Nets if they want to trade for Miami’s Bam Adebayo. Due to the NBA Rookie Extension Rule, an NBA team can’t roster two players acquired via trade that were signed to that type of extension. Adebayo is signed to this type of deal and so is Simmons.

If Brooklyn still has Simmons on the roster, this would also eliminate Brooklyn’s chance of trading for Suns star Devin Booker.

As stated earlier, Miami and Phoenix are two of Durant’s preferred destinations, with Adebayo and Booker being two of their best trade chips.