As the weeks pass by it seems more unlikely the Brooklyn Nets make a Kevin Durant trade any time soon, and in the case of a possible deal with the Golden State Warriors, talks never went very far.
The focus of the NBA world focused on Brooklyn earlier this month when Durant requested a trade from the Nets. Half the teams in the league seemed interested in the idea of acquiring the 12-time All-Star and likely inquired with the Nets about that possibility.
Early on, there were several teams that were favorites to possibly pull off one of the biggest deals in league history. Those are the Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, and Golden State Warriors. However, as various reports have revealed the very high asking price the Nets have, it seems that the Suns and Raptors have fallen out of the running due to being unwilling to part with Mikal Bridges and Scottie Barnes. Two young players that would have to be included in a Durant trade.
Related: Golden State Warriors Bob Myers rejects Kevin Durant trade talk
The Warriors are players in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes mainly because they have two NBA-ready assets in Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins that many around the league feel would be a strong return for the Nets. Since Golden State has few first-round draft picks to send to Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Nets and Golden State Warriors trade talks never had much traction
However, it seems like a deal between the two teams never had much of a chance. During an appearance on “The Lowe Post” podcast, Warriors reporter Kendra Andrews revealed the Nets didn’t have much interest in Poole or Wiggins in a possible swap.
“The issues are Wiggins and [Ben] Simmons. You run into the designated rookie fiasco. The intel I have is that the Nets are not super high on Wiggins or Poole as sort of centerpiece players. Then you get to the other guys [included in a trade] who are relatively unproven in the NBA. So I don’t know if there ever really was a deal there that the Nets would have done. Obviously, you have to explore it if you’re the Warriors.”
Kendra Andrews on Warriors and Nets durant trade talks
Earlier this week, Warriors general manager Bob Myers added to trade talks being seemingly dead when he reiterated his desire to bring back the same team in 2022-2023 and attempt to repeat as league champions.