When Kyrie Irving was traded on Sunday to the Dallas Mavericks after issuing a trade request on Friday, there was some significant fallout around the NBA.
There were the teams that fell short of landing Irving, with reports indicating the Lakers offered both of their future firsts alongside Russell Westbrook, while the Suns offered a package featuring Chris Paul. Those teams now have to reassess the market and figure out where they can make a splash elsewhere, while also dealing with possible internal damage control with the players named in their reported offers for Irving.
Then there’s the Nets themselves, who are hoping to keep Kevin Durant happy, just seven months removed from his own trade request, and are threading the needle of adding future assets while also trying to remain competitive. We’ll find out in the coming days exactly where KD stands on this entire situation, but there are plenty of teams that will be monitoring his availability — as was the case this summer. It didn’t take long for reports to emerge that the Suns were going to pursue Durant if he became available, and on Monday’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith added Boston to the list of teams that’s made calls about KD, noting Jaylen Brown is someone to watch.
“By the way, I’m hearing that he’s on the verge of potentially being moved,” Smith said. “Obviously, we’ve all been speculating about that, that he may be moved. They’re on the phone. I’m hearing Boston is making some calls. Keep your eye on that. Jaylen Brown. Keep your eye on that. Tune into Woj. He would know. Woj would know.”
I love ending it with “Woj would know,” which is an incredible hedge. As always, this comes with the caveat that while he’s plugged in, Smith isn’t a newsbreaker, but it’s not all that surprising considering there was buzz this summer that the Celtics had offered Brooklyn a Brown for Durant swap, but would not meet the Nets’ asking price for additional assets. If anything, Smith reporting this might lead to Durant staying in Brooklyn, as there are few things KD enjoys more than spiting Stephen A. at every opportunity.
