Could the Nets actually keep Kevin Durant after his trade request?

Though much has been made of the bombshell dropped by Kevin Durant when he submitted a trade request to the Brooklyn Nets, the fact remains that the franchise is in no way obligated to grant him his wish.

Brooklyn Nets playing the slow game with Kevin Durant

While many expected Kevin Durant to be out the door not long after requesting a trade, it’s now been more than two weeks and by all accounts will be longer still before we see a move. Let’s be clear, despite the fact that the former league MVP would like to move on the franchise has clearly decided they won’t be pressured into any deal that doesn’t suit them. It would seem in fact that the Nets are fully prepared to keep Durant on the roster if the offers for him don’t match their standards. According to reports, the Nets are standing firm and with Durant’s contract having four remaining years, are under no obligation to let him go. Indeed, Brian Windhorst had the following to say:

Boy is that the vibe that’s coming out of Brooklyn right now, that they are prepared to [keep Durant and Kyrie Irving into next season]. This could be a negotiating position, or it could be a smart decision if you don’t like the trade offers that you have. The market for Durant has not been as lucrative as the Nets were hoping, and the market for Kyrie is very thin. It’s essentially the Lakers, and the trade offer isn’t great. If you don’t like what you have you just sort of close ranks and look at restarting it.

The other possible position for the Brooklyn Nets

What’s interesting about this situation is that there is another train of thought out there which suggests the Nets are perfectly fine with the idea of waiting things out. That’s to say that they will hold on moving Durant until the best possible offer comes in. A recent report had this to say:

Despite Durant’s trade request from Brooklyn - mere hours before free agency commenced on June 30 - the Nets are not operating with any sense of urgency to move Durant. After a flurry of trade chatter heading into the holiday weekend, league personnel have begun discussing the potential for Brooklyn to retain Durant - as well as Kyrie Irving - into the regular season, should a commensurate package for the two-time Finals MVP never emerge. There’s no pressure on Brooklyn. Durant has four more years remaining on his contract. And it will prove challenging, maybe even impossible, to find a trade partner that can meet Brooklyn’s lofty asking price for Durant, which is perceived to be at least one All-Star caliber talent and a surplus of draft capital, all while Durant’s new team still has enough firepower to support his championship aspirations. An All-NBA superstar requesting a trade, while still considered to be a top-five player in the league, is a virtually unprecedented event in league history.

So what do the Brooklyn Nets do?

As much as this is the story of the off season and much has been made of it, there is one thing that people should understand here and that is the simple fact that the Brooklyn Nets actually hold the position of power in this situation. The important thing to consider is the length of time that remains on Durant’s contract - four years - which immediately creates a scenario where the franchise doesn’t have to rush anything. Whether it’s another team or Durant himself, make no mistake, the Nets hold the cards.

Regarding what comes next, we’ve got quite a few months before the next NBA regular season tips off. That’s to say, that it’s safe to assume there will be a whole lot of movement before this story comes to a close. Will KD be in a different jersey when the 2022-23 campaign starts or will he be on the Nets roster still? If the latter is the case, it will be interesting to observe how the Nets manage a player who wanted to jump ship and in turn how said player deals with the idea that he didn’t get to. Watch this space!