The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Source: Durant asks for trade from Nets
Kevin Durant may be taking his quest for more titles elsewhere.
Durant has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, according to a person with direct knowledge of the decision that undoubtedly will have teams scrambling to put together offers for the perennial All-Star.
The Nets have been working with Durant to find a trade partner, and he has multiple teams on his preferred list, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because neither the player nor Brooklyn revealed any details publicly.
ESPN first reported Durant’s trade request, citing Phoenix and Miami as two of his preferred destinations. The bombshell came just hours before the NBA’s free-agent period for this summer was set to begin.
Durant is a 12-time AllStar, four-time scoring champion, three-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time NBA champion — those rings coming with Golden State, the team he was with before joining Brooklyn. He has 4 years and nearly $200 million remaining on his contract, which means that it may take a haul of players, draft picks or possibly both for a team to acquire him.
Durant has played 14 seasons, not including 1 year when he sat out while recovering from a torn Achilles. He has averaged 27.2 points in his career — over that span, only LeBron James, at 27.3 points per game, has averaged more.
And even at his age — Durant will turn 34 on Sept. 29, around the time training camps open this fall — he is still one of the best players in the game, his 6-foot-10 frame making his jump shot almost unstoppable by any defender.
Durant spent three seasons with Brooklyn, not
playing in the first of those years while he recovered from the Achilles injury. He averaged 29.9 points in 55 games last season, after leading the U.S. to Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games last summer.
Unless he changes his mind and stays, his departure will be a huge blow to the Nets. At this time last year,
the Nets were banking on contending for a championship with a core led by Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
NETS TRADE FOR ROYCE O’NEALE
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets acquired forward Royce O’Neale from the Utah Jazz for a conditional 2023 first-round draft pick.
The Nets announced the deal, noting
the Jazz will receive the least favorable of the Brooklyn/Houston firstround pick swap and Philadelphia’s first-round pick that was previously acquired by Brooklyn.
O’Neale has appeared in 370 NBA games in five seasons in Utah, averaging 6.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He has shot 44.8% from the field in his career. The 29-year-old appeared in and started 77 games this past season, averaging a career-high 7.4 points and 31.2 minutes.