3 Thoughts on Durant’s Decision to Stay With Nets From Sixers' Perspective

Kevin Durant shocked the basketball world in late June when he formally requested a trade away from the Brooklyn Nets. 

Brooklyn was coming off a first-round series loss to the Boston Celtics at the time. Although Durant signed a multi-year extension one year prior to this offseason, the star forward didn’t like the direction his team was headed.

Many teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers, entered the Durant sweepstakes. As it seemed talks would soon begin heating up in the coming weeks considering training camp is around the corner, the Brooklyn-based forward changed his mind earlier in the week.

On Tuesday, Brooklyn’s general manager Sean Marks released a statement confirming that the organization met with Durant on Monday. Both parties decided to move forward without striking a deal to send Durant packing. Like that, the Sixers’ chances of landing Durant completely vanished, as the star forward remains an Atlantic Division rival.

Here are some thoughts on Durant’s recent decision.

Sixers Had a Slim Chance of Landing KD

When Durant first went on Brooklyn’s trade block, the Sixers were encouraged by fans to go and get him. However, there wasn’t any real interest until a couple of months after Durant made his initial request.

Reports indicated that high-ranking officials within Philly’s organization wanted to explore a trade for Durant. In addition, there was mutual interest involved as Durant reportedly liked the idea of teaming up with his personal MVP favorite Joel Embiid and his former teammate, James Harden.

The Sixers could’ve put together a solid package to land Durant, but the likelihood of a Tyrese Maxey-headlined package getting sent Brooklyn’s way was slim. And if the Sixers were to offer up a package centered around Maxey, there was a high chance the Nets would decline it.

Nothing is ever impossible in the NBA, as the league tends to shock everybody now and then. But Durant to Philadelphia was indeed a pipe dream. 

An Eastern Conference Contender Misses Out

The market for Durant was crowded; no surprises there. However, the supposed favorites to land the superstar forward were mostly Eastern Conference contenders.

The Boston Celtics were arguably the clear-cut favorite to net Durant as their All-Star guard Jaylen Brown was available for trade. Also, a favorite in the mix for Durant was the Miami Heat, who eliminated the 76ers from the playoffs just a few months ago.

The Sixers already had their fair share of struggles against Durant when he was with the Nets. It certainly wouldn’t have been ideal if the former MVP joined one of these two teams, which made it further than the Sixers and the Nets in the past postseason.

Miami went through Atlanta and Philadelphia to get to the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston dominated Brooklyn and topped Milwaukee to eventually meet the first-seeded Heat in the series before reaching the NBA’s biggest stage.

Having Durant, one of the NBA’s best players still, leave a first-round exit to land on one of the two teams that fought for a spot in the NBA Finals would’ve made life more difficult for other East contenders such as the Sixers. At least with Durant remaining in Brooklyn, his presence alone doesn’t immediately boost one of the other top team’s title odds.

Brooklyn Still Has Question Marks

For the last couple of years, Brooklyn entered the season as Eastern Conference favorites. With Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets have yet to make it out of the second round of the playoffs.

Granted, the Nets have had their fair share of injuries over the last two postseasons, but there’s no guarantee that they will be healthier next year.

Durant and Irving staying while Ben Simmons gets ready for his Brooklyn debut doesn’t mean the Nets don’t have any question marks. In fact, they have even more than they did before.

Can Durant stay healthy? Remember, the star forward has appeared in just 90 of 154 regular season games since returning from his injury two seasons ago and making his Nets debut.

The same goes for the other stars, Irving and Simmons, who have battled their fair share of setbacks over the years. Injuries will be a concern in Brooklyn, and so could the team’s chemistry.

A starting lineup of Durant, Irving, and Simmons, have logged zero minutes together. While Simmons’ game could complement the Brooklyn All-Stars well, it remains unclear if the Nets will get the aggressive or passive version of Simmons, which could make a difference.

The Nets could very well be a difficult team to beat in the East next season, but it’s hard to gauge just how good they will be at this time, considering all of the question marks surrounding them. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.