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Kevin Durant’s future no closer to being resolved four weeks on from trade request

Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets

It has been four weeks since Kevin Durant requested a trade out of Brooklyn, yet the two-time NBA champion is no closer to knowing where he will play next season.

Durant is under contract with the Brooklyn Nets for another four years, yet he has requested a trade, three years after joining them in free agency. The former Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder forward will earn $42.9million on the court in 2022/23, which obviously means any trade will be a monstrous one at the very least.

A player of Durant's calibre and on such a contract means he is practically unmovable, which explains why the situation has barely progressed after nearly a month.
A team chasing a championship will obviously take the 33-year-old as he is not just the final piece of the puzzle, but the whole puzzle for most.
The Boston Celtics are one of the teams engaged in trade talks and although they will have to give up an All-Star and some bench depth, Durant plays like an MVP at his very best and is arguably the best player in the league when healthy.

Why has no team jumped on the chance to prise him away from the Nets?

Brooklyn will want one of, if not, the biggest trade in history to let Durant go. They do not want to give up their whole championship hopes when trading him, and hold all of the cards in that respect, with the two-time champ out of contract in 2026.
Unless they feel like they can still win a championship after trading Durant away, it makes zero sense to accept an offer from any team.
Brooklyn also gave up pretty much all of their draft picks for the next few years in acquiring James Harden from the Houston Rockets, so there is no chance they accept a trade that means they build from the bottom and hope to draft a star next year; unless they are offered at least four first-round picks and a young player with the potential to become a superstar.
Two huge factors to take into consideration are Durant's age and injury record. He suffered a torn Achilles three years ago and has suffered from several injuries during his career. The versatile forward also turns 34 in 2022/23.

Furthermore, what's to say he won't want out of his new team next summer if they fail to win a title next season?

Asking out of Brooklyn shocked everyone and was definitely unexpected. This, on top of his surprising decision to join the Warriors in 2016, means he is a very unpredictable player, and despite being in the top five players on the planet, any team runs a huge risk if they give up their whole bench and a star to bring him in.

Amazingly, the big issue here for Durant - who wants to leave the Nets - is that he is too damn good to be traded. There is not really a package a team will be able to put together in order to acquire such a superstar and guaranteed Hall of Famer.

Realistically, where could Durant go?

The Boston Celtics have already sent a pretty appealing package to the Nets, but it was turned down.

Their offer was centered around one-time All-Star, Jaylen Brown, who can become a free agent and earn a lot more money elsewhere in two years' time; meaning the Nets might not want to take him on as the centerpiece of a trade, which is understandable given the fact they might only get two years of service out of him.

Boston won two games in the finals last year, so giving up Brown, on top of numerous picks, and their best bench players, albeit for Durant, is unlikely. They can win a championship with what they have and will need to go back to the drawing board and create their whole offense from scratch if they acquire KD.
Overall, it does not make too much sense for Boston given their strong situation. They are a team with a great squad and Brad Stevens is smart enough to not decimate the roster for one player, no matter how great they are.
The Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors have also been mentioned in trade talks.

The Nets are behaving very maturally and taking their time to solve this one out.

The best-case scenario for them is that Durant changes his mind and fights for a championship alongside Kyrie Irving next season, which could feasibly happen.

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