The Brooklyn Nets are buying and selling Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster transfer, league sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports activities.
The Suns additionally will ship ahead Jae Crowder, who has not performed this season after requesting a commerce within the offseason, to the Nets, in keeping with reports. Crowder could possibly be a part of an extra commerce forward of the deadline at 3 p.m. Thursday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
Brooklyn may also obtain Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, 4 unprotected first-round draft picks in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 and a 2028 decide swap, according to ESPN. TJ Warren is headed to Phoenix within the deal, as effectively.
After the Nets traded Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks over the weekend, Durant reportedly met with Brooklyn’s entrance workplace to debate “the path of the franchise and its capacity to be a championship contender.” Apparently, these conversations weren’t fruitful.
Kevin Durant en path to his most well-liked vacation spot: Phoenix Suns
Durant requested a trade in the offseason with a powerful choice to hitch the Suns with Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Neither Paul nor Booker have received an NBA title, and the addition of Durant doubtless would have vaulted them to preseason championship favorites.
When no affords materialized in the summertime, Durant rescinded the request earlier than the season started.
Durant is within the first yr of a four-year, $194 million extension he signed in August 2021 when the Nets had a Huge 3 of Durant, Irving and James Harden. None of them not put on a Nets uniform. Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a package deal that despatched Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn finally yr’s commerce deadline.
Durant performed 39 video games for the Nets this season earlier than struggling an MCL sprain in his proper knee. He’s anticipated to stay sidelined via the All-Star break, so his Suns debut is prone to occur on the finish of the month. The Suns’ first sport after the break is Feb. 24 at dwelling towards the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Durant was chosen to his thirteenth All-Star Sport as a starter for the Japanese Convention previous to the commerce. NBA commissioner Adam Silver is anticipated to call an harm substitute for him, and others, forward of the occasion in Salt Lake Metropolis on Feb. 19.
Suns have been anticipated to be energetic on the commerce deadline
Mat Ishbia was confirmed as the Suns’ new majority owner by the NBA Board of Governors on Monday night time. He was anticipated to have a serious impression on Phoenix’s commerce negotiations as ousted proprietor Robert Sarver had stagnated a lot of the Suns’ participant actions.
In September, Sarver was suspended for one year and fined $1 million for poisonous office allegations uncovered in a bombshell report by ESPN a yr earlier. Sarver announced his intention to sell the team shortly after the penalties. Nonetheless, he remained concerned within the Suns’ participant motion choices till Ishbia took management.
