Kevin Durant's June 30 trade request completely upended the NBA's summer. It took up headlines for the entire summer, dominating certain exchanges and holding them up.
Was Durant, though, ever truly on the verge of being traded?
Not if you pay attention to the reactions to Durant's decision to play for the Nets again this year.
When he made his initial demand, Miami and Phoenix were listed as Durant's top two trade destinations. On the Miami-based Le Batard & pals "STUpodity" podcast, Shams Charania of The Athletic said that the Heat was never close to a deal (hat tip, Hoopshype).
Stugotz, the Heat last spoke to the Nets about Kevin Durant right before or perhaps even before Summer League. In my opinion, they never really sought a deal vigorously because they realized they would have had to eliminate several players.
Bam Adebayo would need to be available for Miami to close a trade. Although some individuals within the company may have been amenable to the notion, major voices were not, according to Heat beat reporter Ira Winderman in the past. The Heat's 25-year-old All-Star and All-Defensive player was ultimately not going to be included because they needed Durant and Jimmy Butler in addition to him to be a legitimate contender. A Tyler Herro-based package, which did not pique Brooklyn's attention, was the highest the offer ever rose to.
Phoenix's Monty Williams said on NBA Radio's Justin Termine & Eddie Johnson that he didn't discuss the allegations with any of the Sun's players and didn't necessarily want to see his club disbanded (hat tip to Dana Scott of the Arizona Republic).
"When I initially learned about the Kevin Durant situation, I was rather shocked by it because, you know, we've been so fortunate for guys to want to come here.
"At the same time, I was wondering, "At the expense of what? I also enjoy our team. I adore our men. However, I refused to engage in talks that weren't necessary.
The situation was never bad enough for Williams to speak with a player about it. Devin Booker would never have received an offer from the Suns (and the Nets would have had to trade Ben Simmons away due to the rookie contract rule to get Booker anyway). Deandre Ayton signed an offer sheet with the Pacers, which the Suns immediately matched, leaving only a Deandre Ayton-based trade, which was insufficient to close a deal. An offer based on Mikal Bridges never came close.
Boston may have been the team closest to finalizing a trade with a reported offer of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and one first-round pick. The talks abruptly broke down as the Nets demanded more (reportedly Marcus Smart and additional choices). It's possible that they were never taken seriously.
The Nets refused to lower their asking price for Durant, which included an under-25 All-Star player, additional top-tier rotation players, and multiple draught picks, leading some in the league to believe that Brooklyn was never really interested in trading for Durant. Durant tried to increase the pressure on Brooklyn, but the Nets refused to budge. If so, Brooklyn got what it wanted, and Durant is back along with Kyrie Irving, Sijmons, and a strong group of role players; if everyone is committed and focused, this team can contend.
However, no one anticipates a drama-free season in Brooklyn, and once things become hot, trade speculations will resurface. Perhaps an agreement will be closed the next time.
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