Philadelphia 76ers’ Odds of Landing Brooklyn Nets Star Kevin Durant

Just hours before the NBA opened up free agency, big news came out of Brooklyn. Just one year after signing a multi-year extension with the Brooklyn Nets, superstar forward Kevin Durant formally requested a trade.

As expected, Durant’s trade request set the league on fire. As he became the biggest prospect in the trade market, more than half the league phoned Brooklyn to get an idea of what it would take to land the future Hall of Famer ahead of next season.

It’s unclear which teams have the most intriguing trade packages for the Nets at this time, but one thing is for sure, the Nets aren’t going to undersell the superstar. According to reports, the Nets want a historical return for Durant, who is heading into year 15. 

Who are the Favorites?

According to BetOnline, the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat are the two favorites to land Durant at this time. That shouldn’t come as a shock considering the Suns, and the Heat are reportedly Durant’s top preferences right now.

For Phoenix, the odds are set at 1/1. For Miami, they are 7/2. While Durant prefers to land with one of the two top seeds from last year, the Nets aren’t going to get picky for his sake. After all, Durant inked a significant contract extension with the Nets just last year. Therefore, they have the leverage in the situation.

Where Do the Sixers Stand?

Going down the list beyond the two favorites and the Toronto Raptors, New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Washington Wizards, the Philadelphia 76ers finally pop up. According to BetOnline, the Sixers’ odds of landing Durant stand at 12/1.

While Philadelphia has an intriguing young guard in Tyrese Maxey and a solid veteran four in Tobias Harris, they don’t have an All-Star beyond Joel Embiid and James Harden to trade back to Brooklyn. In addition, having a lack of draft assets would be a hard sell to the Nets in this scenario.

Never say never when it comes to the NBA, but Sixers fans shouldn’t get too excited about their team’s chances of possibly landing a disgruntled Durant. 

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