There was a “ferrocity” at the Nets ’reception Thursday night, as numerous teams called in with commercial offers for Kevin Durant, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski told Sports Center (Twitter link).
The league’s response to Durant’s change request was immediate and intense, as more than half of the league made inquiries. Wojnarowski said it created an unprecedented situation, as some teams called Brooklyn with offers and then called back to increase those offers without receiving a counter from the Nets.
“There has never been a player the size of Durant at this point in his career available for an exchange, certainly in the modern era,” Wojnarowski said, adding that Brooklyn aims for a ” historical resource “in return.
He reports that the Nets are basing their asking price on what the Clippers gave Oklahoma City for Paul George (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and five first-round picks) and what the Lakers paid New Orleans for Anthony Davis (Lonzo). Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks).
The Nets “want more than that,” Wojnarowski said.
There is more information about Durant:
- Watching the Warriors win the championship played a role in Durant’s desire to leave Brooklyn, Wojnarowski told ESPN’s “Get Up.” He contributed to the narrative that Durant cannot win on his own and that he is caught in a dysfunctional situation with the Nets. Durant called for “a change of scenery” when he met with the property Thursday.
- Appearing this morning on ESPN’s “KJM,” Brian Windhorst cited a “90 percent high probability” that the Nets would comply with Durant’s commercial request and said any deal involving Kyrie Irving will likely have to wait until Durant is moved. Irving just wants to go to the Lakers, but that means the Nets should take Russell Westbrook, who earns about $ 11 million more than Irving, and it won’t be easy to make another setback for Brooklyn.
- In “Get Up,” Windhorst projected that Durant’s exchange will involve at least three teams. He cites a possible deal between Nets and Suns, saying the match is not perfect and that both teams will probably make calls to expand the trade and see if they can get the assets they want. Windhorst adds that he could “freeze the business for a while” in the league, as several teams are considering getting involved. An advantage for Phoenix, Windhorst points out, is that it has control over all of its future draft picks and can offer up to four draft options and three pick exchanges. This could encourage several teams to help facilitate a deal with Durant. Phoenix is believed to be Durant’s favorite landing site.