In his latest read on the Nets situation, Adrian Wojnarowski, speaking on ESPN, says there is “no traction” on trades involving Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving, and raised the possibility that the two superstars could still be Nets when training camp opens in the end of September.
He also threw cold water on reports that the Lakers were aggressive about trading for Irving. Reports from Yahoo! Sports and SNY, among others, have Irving and possibly Joe Harris heading to Los Angeles for Russell Westbrook and draft compensation.
“I’m told the Lakers have still been aggressive in trying to get a deal done [Kyrie] from Brooklyn. That may come, that may develop over time. But for now, there’s no traction in deals with either Irving or Durant right now.”
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“Similar to Durant, a very slow-moving market right now,” Voy said of the market for Irving. “I think unlike Kevin Durant, I think there’s a limited number of teams where it could make sense. I think there are teams that would like to make deals for him. It is different from the mark and trade he tried to get. Teams had to sign him for several years. He is essentially out of contract. I think teams that need to upgrade their talent can take some risks with Kyrie Irving.
“I’m told the Lakers have still been aggressive in trying to get a deal done [Kyrie] from Brooklyn. That may come, that may develop over time. But for now, there is no trade traction for either Irving or Durant right now. These will evolve over time, but both processes can evolve.
Voy then dropped a bit of a bombshell, suggesting the Nets might just try to wait out their two superstars.
“And they don’t have to trade either,” Voy added. “They are both under contract. They could bring them back to start the season. I don’t think this is the ideal scenario for Brooklyn. I think they’re trying to find as much leverage as possible, but again, there’s a lot of time left in this offseason and a lot more conversations to come.”
Interestingly, Voy did not say whether the talks involved the Nets and other teams or the Nets and their players. Although the assumption around the league is that the situation is so toxic that there is no chance of a comeback. However, neither party — Durant, Irving, Joe Tsai or Sean Marks — has made a public statement or given a public interview that would require a retraction.
Of course, if things are truly toxic, antagonism in training camp might just make things uglier. Also, the longer trade talks take to gain “traction,” the more difficult it can be to strike a deal that satisfies all parties. However, the negotiations may develop differently.
Voi was not, in fact, alone in discussing the status of trade negotiations. Brian Lewis noted Sunday night: “So far, league sources have said nothing is imminent or even advanced.”
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