In his latest reading of the Nets’ situation, Adrian Wojnarowski, speaking on ESPN, said there was “no traction” on deals involving Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving, and raised the possibility that the two superstars are still Nets when training camp opens. end of September.
He also threw cold water on reports that the Lakers are acting aggressively in the Irving trade. Reports from Yahoo! Sports and SNY, among others, sent Irving and possibly Joe Harris to Los Angeles for Russell Westbrook and the compensation project.
“The Lakers still have to, I’m told, be aggressive in trying to get a deal done to get [Kyrie] from Brooklyn. It can come, it can change over time. But so far there’s not really traction on the deals with Irving or Durant.”
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“Similar to Durant, a very slow moving market right now,” Woj said of Irving’s market. “I think unlike Kevin Durant, I think there are a limited number of teams where it could make sense. I think there are teams that would like to do business for him. It’s different about the sign and trade he tried to get. Teams should have signed him for several years. He’s basically on an expiring contract. I think teams that need to improve their talent can take some risks with Kyrie Irving.
“The Lakers still have to, I am told, be aggressive in trying to get a deal done to get [Kyrie] from Brooklyn. It can come, it can change over time. But so far, there’s been no real traction on deals with Irving or Durant. They will develop over time, but both of these processes could happen.
Woj then dropped a little bombshell, suggesting the Nets might just be trying to wait for their two superstars.
“And they don’t have to trade either,” Woj added. “They are both under contract. They could bring them back to start the season. I don’t think that’s the ideal scenario for Brooklyn. I think he’s trying to find as many assets as possible, but again, there’s a lot of time left in this offseason and a lot more talk to come.
Curiously, Woj didn’t specify whether the talks involved the Nets and other teams or the Nets and their players. While the assumption around the league is that the situation is so toxic that there is no chance of a return. However, none of the parties – Durant, Irving, Joe Tsai or Sean Marks – have made a public statement or given a public interview that they should resume.
Of course, if things are indeed toxic, a stalemate in training camp might just make things uglier. Additionally, the longer trade negotiations take to gain “traction,” the more difficult it can be to strike a deal that satisfies all parties. However, negotiations can take different turns.
Woj, in fact, was not alone in his discussion of the status of trade negotiations. Brian Lewis noted on Sunday night: “So far league sources have said nothing is imminent, or even at an advanced stage.”
