A lot has changed for the Brooklyn Nets over the last week.
Obviously, the team lost one of its biggest stars, Kyrie Irving, who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks following a demand to leave the team.
Meanwhile, stars like Cam Thomas and Nic Claxton have only stepped up.
The conventional wisdom has been that the Nets would move mountains to build a strong roster around Kevin Durant, who is still healing from an injury and doesn’t have a timetable for a return.
But maybe that wisdom isn’t entirely accurate.
The Brooklyn Nets may be coming off their position that they unequivocally won't trade Kevin Durant, per @WindhorstESPN. Brooklyn's position appears to have changed following the trade of Irving. A trade could still be more likely in the offseason than at the trade deadline. pic.twitter.com/VthgkwY7VU
— Unbiased NBA Fan (@nonbiasednbafan) February 8, 2023
Brian Windhorst is reporting that the Nets may be changing their minds about trading Durant.
According to Windhorst, Brooklyn’s position appears to be having changed following the trade of Irving.
While he notes that a trade could happen, it would likely occur in the offseason rather than at Thursday’s NBA deadline.
If there is truth to the rumor, it’s shocking for many reasons.
Nets fans panicked after news of Irving’s inevitable departure leaked, thinking that Durant could be the next player to demand a trade from Brooklyn.
But multiple reports from inside the team said that wouldn’t be the case and that the front office would instead do whatever it takes to give Durant more reinforcements on the court.
So, what has changed?
Perhaps they have heard from Durant himself and see a desire from him to move on.
Or maybe they have had discussions with other teams and envision the major return they’d get for shipping Durant out.
Trading Durant would certainly bring the Nets a treasure trove of players and draft picks.
But it would also blow the team up and require a rebuild from basically scratch.
In the months ahead, you can bet that all Durant fans will be paying close attention to every rumor coming from Brooklyn’s front office.
NEXT: Cam Thomas Has Officially Become A Star
