Jan 8, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Brooklyn Nets ahead Kevin Durant (7) warms up earlier than taking part in the Miami Warmth at FTX Enviornment. Necessary Credit score: Michael Laughlin-USA TODAY Sports activities
The Nets traded Kyrie Irving in a deal that despatched shockwaves via the NBA. How can this group substitute Irving to avoid wasting the Kevin Durant period in Brooklyn?
The Nets had been lastly capable of do away with Kyrie Irving after a months-long saga of chaos that significantly depressed his commerce worth. The Nets don’t have a working mate for Kevin Durant and can want the plan to get one if they need KD to remain long-term.
Fortunately for the Nets, Durant is underneath contract for the following 4 years. If issues come to that time, the Nets may merely simply not commerce Durant. There isn’t a obligation for the Nets to commerce for Durant. He could make issues sophisticated with a commerce request however it’s not clear we’re at this level.
This permits Brooklyn to a minimum of punt this query of whether or not they commerce him until the offseason. Sure, groups will nonetheless odor the hearth and try to commerce for Durant (because the Suns have stated they’re if he becomes available) however the Nets can merely decline presents and wait until the summer time.
If the Nets aren’t capable of purchase a second star within the subsequent couple of days (a probable situation in the event that they don’t get Siakam from the Raptors), this season will most likely finish with them dropping to one of many Celtics, Sixers, or Bucks as a result of lack of one other All-NBA participant. Whereas this group is strong, Durant will get double-teamed within the playoffs towards groups with extra star firepower.
These groups merely have an excessive amount of expertise to lose to a group with just one celebrity even when that celebrity is Kevin Durant. Earlier than it will get to some extent the place Kevin Durant may request a commerce from the group, the Nets do have property to get them a second star.
Sure, they won’t have any of the tradeable rights to their picks until 2028 however they’re able to provide the Sixers’ 2027 decide, the Mavs’ 2029 decide, and two of these first-round picks from 2028 to 2030 (the 2030 decide is accessible to commerce within the offseason) plus a swap of picks in 2029. The Nets may use these property now to get an improve in expertise, like for say OG Anunoby however it doesn’t actually make a lot sense to go after a man who isn’t an all-NBA participant at his reported worth. As Kevin O’Connor reported the Raptors have had commerce talks with groups involving Anunoby and Pascal Siakam. The Nets ought to take a look at buying and selling for Siakam and Anunoby with extra of a deal with Siakam, as he is ready to create his offense. The Nets actually have yet one more shot at making the KD period in Brooklyn work, it wouldn’t make a lot sense to make use of lots of their property to make a transfer that doesn’t contain getting All-NBA expertise again.
The Nets may add a mix of Cam Thomas, Spencer Dinwiddie’s expiring contract, Joe Harris’s expiring wage and the aforementioned picks as effectively to supply in a deal for all-NBA gamers. Whereas they produce other gamers as effectively, these two contracts will get you round $39 million in expiring contracts.
This type of bundle positively will get you in consideration for gamers like Trae Younger (rumored to be in search of an offseason exit from the Hawks) or different stars in the event that they grow to be obtainable within the offseason. Whereas they’re in serious trouble in Brooklyn, getting the form of commerce return that they received for Irving a minimum of an opportunity at saving the Durant period in Brooklyn.
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What can the Nets provide to get one other star subsequent to Kevin Durant?