Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving accepting trade out of Brooklyn is unlikely?

Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving “know” a trade is unlikely and have accepted the reality that they may not be dealt anytime soon. “They know behind the scenes that it’s difficult, that it’s unlikely to happen,” a league source said, adding that “the Nets also knew that they’re going to make it so hard in the sense of the demands they’re looking for in return, no one’s going to meet that.
Source: Adam Zagoria @ Newark Star-Ledger

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Shandel Richardson @ShandelRich
Do the Washington Wizards even have a chance at Durant? #miamiheat si.com/nba/heat/miami… – 1:04 AM Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
From earlier: The agonizing element in potential Bam/Durant Heat trade decision, with Heat thus far disinclined to deal Adebayo: Scouts weigh in: miamiherald.com/sports/spt-col… – 10:16 PM Adam Zagoria @AdamZagoria
Now on @njdotcom
Brooklyn Nets stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving ‘know’ a trade is ‘unlikely to happen,’ league source says nj.com/nets/2022/07/b… – 7:20 PM Shandel Richardson @ShandelRich
Do the Wizards even have a chance at Durant? si.com/nba/heat/.amp/… – 7:08 PM Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
I’ll be clear: I don’t think there’s any scenario in which the Lakers are a great REGULAR SEASON team, even with Kyrie. Too much injury risk. Not enough depth.
You get Kyrie because the upside of him, LeBron and AD playing 40 minutes per game in a seven-game series is enormous. – 7:03 PM Ric Bucher @RicBucher
Why Rudy Gobert Got Traded, Why KD Hasn’t shows.acast.com/bucher-and-fri… via @acast – 6:50 PM Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
With Heat to this point reluctant to give up Bam (who turns 25 today) in a Durant trade, exploring the issue, with scouts weighing in: miamiherald.com/sports/spt-col… – 5:46 PM StatMuse @statmuse
Kevin Durant most PPG against a team:
32.0 vs Thunder
29.9 vs Warriors pic.twitter.com/4BG1xS57Gq – 5:34 PM Shandel Richardson @ShandelRich
Still no movement on Kevin Durant situation #miamiheat si.com/nba/heat/miami… – 4:20 PM Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
Kevin Durant stuck (for now) in Brooklyn? Now why is that?
My latest around-the-league notes compilation freshly dispatched worldwide explores: marcstein.substack.com/p/kd-stuck-in-… – 3:00 PM Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
NEW: Should the Heat offer Bam in a trade for Durant, if the arcane rule preventing Simmons & Bam from both being on the Nets can be navigated? I spoke to 2 scouts who feel strongly about this. And where things stand: miamiherald.com/sports/spt-col… – 12:59 PM Tas Melas @TasMelas
New No Dunks podcast to discuss trade rumors re: Westbrook, Kyrie + Mitchell, the Suns keeping Deandre Ayton, Herro’s tattoo, LeBron at Drew League + more!
📼: https://t.co/dInE9KXeVJ
🍎: https://t.co/XjSclyJYjS
: https://t.co/YpCkqbnDWC
🅰: https://t.co/v1qudKTb56 pic.twitter.com/PsoaplxTPQ – 11:37 AM Krishna Narsu @knarsu3
Wonder if KD’s value is a lot lower among the league than the general media thinks (which is why the offers seem to stink). He’s played 90 games out of 154 over the last 2 seasons (just above 50%), is going to be 34 and is coming off a really bad playoff series vs. Boston. – 11:19 AM Aaron Rose @AaronBenRose
Where do you think Kevin Durant will start the season next year 🤔 – 11:13 AM Get Up @GetUpESPN
“The Nets are still trying to find a deal for Kevin Durant.”
—@Adrian Wojnarowski pic.twitter.com/HjdpkIlIsh – 9:43 AM StatMuse @statmuse
Most 40-point games by active players:
101 — James Harden
69 — LeBron James
62 — Kevin Durant
52 — Steph Curry
50 — Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/9GysjsABTQ – 9:27 AM Tom Ziller @teamziller
Wrote about Harden’s babyface turn. ziller.substack.com/p/james-harden…
Arguably no bigger NBA villain of the past half-decade (though Kyrie is making a run at it). And $ sacrifices don’t always win respect (see: Heatles). This is different, tho. And it seems like Harden wants to be liked. – 8:46 AM Tim Bontemps @TimBontemps
About to do @Get Up for the next two hours to talk about LeBron, KD, Donovan Mitchell and more. – 8:00 AM Shandel Richardson @ShandelRich
Could Kyrie make it work in Miami? #miamiheat si.com/nba/heat/miami… – 10:22 AM Allen Sliwa @AllenSliwa
Lebron shows up to the Drew League, Kyrie does not…Plus, what it means for the Lakers that Russ & Agent part ways
youtube.com/watch?v=KyqwG1… – 9:25 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Drew League Commissioner Dino Smiley on Kyrie Irving’s no-show today: “I don’t know. They were pretty sure he was coming. But you know how Kyrie is. I guess he changed his mind in the middle of it.” Dino said there is a possibility that Kyrie plays in a game on Sunday. – 9:13 PM Dave McMenamin @mcten
Drew League commissioner Dino Smiley to ESPN when asked about Kyrie Irving: “We still have a couple games left today and then six tomorrow. So, (we’ll see). But that sounded like it was going to be a sure bet but I don’t know what happened.” – 8:06 PM Tony Jones @Tjonesonthenba
Kyrie Irving today at the Drew League pic.twitter.com/BQcbih1ieW – 7:48 PM Dave McMenamin @mcten
LeBron James finished with 42 points on 18-for-36 shooting and 16 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan had 30 points on 9-for-23 and 14 rebounds. Their team, MMV Cheaters, held on to win 104-102 over Black Pearl Elite. Kyrie Irving, who was expected to appear, looks unlikely to play today – 7:43 PM Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
Draymond Green just showed up at @DrewLeague but he isn’t expected to play, Dino Smiley told me. Kyrie Irving expected to play for No Limit Soldiers in the next game. – 6:02 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
A liiiittle ironic how these jerseys that LeBron and DeRozan are wearing look like Nets jerseys, but I guess still no Kyrie Irving at Drew. – 5:17 PM Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
Drew League stream definitely going down if Kyrie walks out of that tunnel like Stone Cold returning to Wrestlemania. – 5:12 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
The scene inside @DrewLeague. Kyrie Irving was scheduled to play at 11 am PT. But Drew League commissioner Dino Smiley told me there’s no update on when he’ll arrive. pic.twitter.com/vFUGFPYyi4 – 3:48 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Clipper Darrell here for a courtside seat at @DrewLeague in case he can boo LeBron James and Kyrie Irving today. Clipper Darrell: “The Lakers can get whoever they want. The Clippers are deep this year, man. Ya’ll better watch out, baby. We’re gonna whoop that a— this year.” – 3:13 PM Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
LaVar Ball is in the building at the Drew League. Still no Kyrie Irving. LeBron James is expected to play at 145. – 3:02 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
The line outside King/Drew Magnet High School in hopes to see Kyrie Irving and LeBron James play some hoops today pic.twitter.com/obU9yNSPbT – 2:56 PM Greg Dickerson @gregdickerson13
Kyrie, LeBron expected to play in Drew League espn.com/nba/story/_/id…
@espn writes about this but not about a co owner of a Boston team calling another Boston teams racist… – 2:53 PM Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
100,000 concurrent viewers watching a game from a handheld device that Kyrie did not play in (yet) pic.twitter.com/1kTuekkO8G – 2:37 PM Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
Here at the Drew League. So far, Kyrie Irving is not here for the 11 am game. – 2:16 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
Here at the Drew League. The buzz in the gym is that Kyrie Irving, at the very least, is not going to be playing here at 11 as previously reported. – 2:13 PM Dave McMenamin @mcten
New story: Kyrie and LeBron are reuniting in Los Angeles – at the Drew League es.pn/3aIqBQF – 1:35 PM Brad Turner @BA_Turner
Kyrie Irving expected to play at Drew League today at 11. LeBron James expected to play at 1:45 today at Drew League – 1:01 PM Dave McMenamin @mcten
Kyrie Irving is expected to play in the Drew League in Los Angeles today at 11 a.m., Drew League commissioner Dino Smiley told ESPN. LeBron James is expected to play at 1:45, per Smiley. Yahoo earlier reported James’ plans to return to the Drew for the first time since 2011. – 12:43 PM

More on this storyline

“That’s why there’s nobody commenting on it. are never shy for words.” “I think initially they plotted ,” the source added, “and then they realized very quickly that it wasn’t going to work.” -via Newark Star-Ledger / July 19, 2022 In general, Woj said the Nets would welcome KD back, but are trying to find the best deal for him. “The Nets are still trying to find a deal for Kevin Durant. I think if Kevin Durant came to Brooklyn and said: ‘Hey, I’ve changed my mind. I want to be here, I’m committed to this,’ of course they would want him to stay,” Woj told the Get Up panel. “But, if Kevin Durant’s not doing that, you’re still trying to trade him. You want players who want to be there. You don’t want the environment to be filled with players who are unhappy, who don’t want to be a part of it. But they’ve gotta get value for him, and they’ve got to get significant value for him.” -via NetsDaily / July 19, 2022 The Raptors are a logical trade partner for the Nets in a potential Kevin Durant blockbuster due to their assets and attractive trade pieces. However, Toronto is unwilling to part with forward Scottie Barnes after his stellar rookie campaign and Brooklyn has insisted Barnes be part of the package, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on the “Get Up” morning show (video link). “Toronto doesn’t want to part with Scottie Barnes. That’s their stance,” he said. “Brooklyn, right now, wouldn’t consider a deal (with the Raptors) without Scottie Barnes.” -via Hoops Rumors / July 19, 2022 Dave McMenamin: There is a school of thought speaking to people around the league that they think the Kevin Durant trade request wasn’t actually about him getting out of Brooklyn. It was about getting Kyrie Irving out of Brooklyn. -via Spotify / July 19, 2022 Then, Monday morning on Get Up, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers aren’t just focusing on Irving, that talks between Brooklyn and L.A. are “not dead yet,” and that there’s a “good chance” Irving will be back with the Nets “to start the season if Kevin Durant is back in Brooklyn.” “I think the Lakers will make a deal, maybe more than one deal,” said Woj. “It may not be for Kyrie Irving, it may not be for an All-NBA player, an All-Star… players like Eric Gordon in Houston, Buddy Hield in Indiana, players like Patrick Beverly who came to the Jazz in a trade from Minnesota who are role players on winning teams. What is the price for those kinds of moves? They’re going to continue to be active on those things. -via NetsDaily / July 19, 2022