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Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West doesn’t think the Brooklyn Nets will trade Kevin Durant.
Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio, West said a deal won’t happen because “you can’t give enough to get a guy like” Durant.
SiriusXM NBA Radio @SiriusXMNBA
“My best guess…he’s not going to be traded. You can’t give enough to get a guy like [Kevin Durant]”<br><br>Jerry West doesn’t think the Nets will be trading KD <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NetsWorld?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NetsWorld</a><a href=”https://twitter.com/TermineRadio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@termineradio</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/Jumpshot8?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@jumpshot8</a> <a href=”https://t.co/8fYzr78Ehd”>pic.twitter.com/8fYzr78Ehd</a>
Few people in the NBA can speak about the value of a player better than West. He is a two-time Executive of the Year winner and has won eight titles as an executive between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors.
In the two weeks since Durant made his trade request to the Nets, no indication has been given that a deal for the 12-time All-Star is close.
It’s also unclear how motivated Brooklyn is to move Durant. If the Nets thought he might make things difficult or uncomfortable for the franchise, it might increase the sense of urgency for general manager Sean Marks.
Per NBA reporter Marc Stein (h/t HoopsHype.com), the Nets privately maintain they won’t trade Durant unless the return includes a young blue-chip player like Brandon Ingram or Scottie Barnes, plus “lots more attached to a theoretical deal than the absolute hauls San Antonio and Utah received” when they traded Dejounte Murray and Rudy Gobert.
The San Antonio Spurs received three first-round draft picks and a pick swap, along with Danilo Gallinari, from the Atlanta Hawks for Murray.
Gobert cost the Minnesota Timberwolves a package of five players, four first-round draft picks and a pick swap.
Durant is still one of the best players in the league, but potential drawbacks could make his value lower than it would seem. The 2014 NBA MVP turns 34 on Sept. 29 and has only played 90 games total over the past three seasons.
Another issue is so few teams have cap space, and those that do are unlikely to be in the market for Durant. Teams that would have interest will need to match salaries with the Nets.
If a Durant trade does occur, the acquiring team will almost certainly be a title contender because he’s that good. The two-time NBA Finals MVP averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game in 55 starts last season.
If the Nets don’t deal Durant and he is happy playing for them, they still have a good roster that could be a contender in the Eastern Conference.
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