After two years of partnership, rumors are circulating that All-Star small forward Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets are heading into an inevitable divorce in the 2022 NBA offseason.
Durant may have earlier committed to returning to the Nets in the 2022-23 NBA season. However, after they declined to give Kyrie Irving a massive contract extension, he changed his mind about staying and requested a trade from Brooklyn.
Several teams looking to add more star power to their roster have already expressed a strong interest in adding KD to their roster.
Kevin Durant To New York Knicks
One of the aspiring contenders that may consider trading for Durant this summer is the New York Knicks. In a recent article, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report created a list of unexpected trade ideas to get Durant out of Brooklyn. These include a hypothetical blockbuster deal that would enable the Knicks to acquire him from the Nets.
In the proposed trade scenario, the Knicks would be sending a trade package that includes RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Evan Fournier, two 2023 first-round picks, a 2025 first-round pick, and a 2027 first-round pick to the Nets in exchange for Durant.
Knicks Finally Acquire Kevin Durant
Trading a young player with massive potential like Barrett would be a tough decision for the Knicks. Still, it's something that they might consider, especially if it means acquiring a player of Durant's caliber. The Knicks have long been interested in adding Durant to their roster.
When he became an unrestricted free agent in 2016 and 2019, the Knicks made substantial efforts to add him to their roster.
Durant alone may not make the Knicks an instant title contender in the Eastern Conference, but adding him to the core of Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Jalen Brunson, and Immanuel Quickley would give them a realistic chance of returning to the playoffs next season.
Kevin Durant Boosts Knicks' Offense
Durant would be a dream acquisition for the Knicks. He may already be 33, but he's still a reliable contributor on both ends of the floor. His potential arrival in Big Apple would tremendously improve their offensive efficiency, which ranked No. 22 in the league last season, scoring 108.0 points per 100 possessions.
Durant would give the Knicks a legitimate No. 1 scoring option and a great rebounder, on-court facilitator, defender, and floor spacer. Last season, he averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists while shooting 51.8 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Why The Nets Would Make The Trade
The proposed blockbuster deal would make a lot of sense for the Nets, especially if they intend to rebuild around Ben Simmons. Aside from obtaining multiple future draft assets, the suggested trade would also enable the Nets to swap a disgruntled superstar for two young and promising players that they could develop alongside Simmons in Barrett, Toppin, and a veteran sharpshooter in Fournier.
"Fournier is salary filler, but he's also a capable rotation wing with a career 38.1 percent mark from distance," Hughes wrote. "Toppin could thrive in a larger role than Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was willing to give him, and more broadly, the open-floor possibilities of a 3-4-5 combo involving Barrett, Toppin, and Ben Simmons are tantalizing."
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