Kevin Durant trade talks have stalled out. With the Celtics, Heat and everyone else.
That’s no secret, it has been that way for weeks, and there are multiple reasons for it. That starts with the time of year — a lot of executives are on vacation — to the perception the Nets’ asking price for the two-time Finals MVP is too high. Teams look at what the Nets are asking for (starting with an All-Star level player under 25) and don’t think they could put together an offer the Nets would accept while remaining a contender. For example, that’s why the Heat won’t include Bam Adebayo in talks, and why the Pelicans have not put Brandon Ingram in any offer. Teams are not getting in a bidding war and upping tier offers.
Durant had been radio silent, but now comes a rumor that Durant and Nets owner Joe Tsai will sit down and talk face-to-face, via Steve Bulpett at Heavy.com.
“What I’m hearing is that KD is going to meet with the owner this week,” the source told Heavy Sports. “He’s going to go directly to the owner, Joe Tsai, sometime this week. We’ll see how that works.”
One second-hand source makes this more rumor than report, but for fun let’s pretend it’s true. There are only two things Durant could say in this meeting:
1) That he means what he said in his trade request, he wants out and will hot report to Nets training camp. That could push the Nets to take a trade below what they believe is the market value for KD (the Rudy Gobert trade messed up expectations for what the return for Durant would be).
2) Durant rescinds his trade request, at least for now. The Nets hope this is the case, but it’s a long shot. Durant is not someone prone to rash decisions where he changes his mind, although the market for his services may force him to reconsider a little. The Nets with Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons surrounded by quality role players (Joe Harris, Patty Mills, Nic Claxton and on down the line), would be a contender in the East. Winning can cure a lot of ills.
We’ll see if this meeting happens and what comes of it, if there is a public shift from the Nets. It’s about the only thing that could move the needle on Durant trade talks as we head into August.
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