The Nets have not given up hope of withdrawing Kevin Durant’s trade request, per report

When Kevin Durant asked for a trade during June, he likely expected to get traded relatively quickly. The Nets appeared willing to cooperate with his request after a tumultuous season that he was not interested in repeating. A player of his caliber should have commanded many compelling offers before Brooklyn finally settled on the best.

But even after a month of application, no such offer materialized. Durant’s preferred Phoenix Suns don’t have enough to land him now because of the offer sheet they’ve already signed through DeAndre Ayton until January. The Miami Heat are similarly light on assets, and while the Boston Celtics have emerged with a surprising offer built around Jaylen Brown, the two sides have yet to come close to a deal. Unless something changes between now and training camp, those offers are unlikely to improve.

But according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Nets haven’t given up hope on an alternative: that Durant withdraw his trade request knowing there is no viable move available to him. It’s unknown at this stage if Durant might consider that option, but according to him Mark Stein, he’s still looking for a trade outside of Brooklyn. Maybe a month or two without a trade might change his mind.

If Durant returns to Brooklyn, he will be playing for a much stronger team. The Nets still have Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. Joe Harris and Seth Curry will likely be healthy. Nic Claxton and Patty Mills were re-signed, and the Nets took a high-risk, high-reward gamble on TJ Warren that could give them another starting-caliber player on the wing. It’s entirely reasonable to suggest that the Nets could be stronger than some teams trying to trade for Durant if he decides to stay in Brooklyn.

But until he makes his intentions clear, no one can tell how viable this path is. If Durant tells the Nets tomorrow that he refuses to play in Brooklyn, that might lower their asking price a bit. If a deal doesn’t go through training camp and he arrives, that could give them some opportunity to try to keep him. There is still a long way to go before this situation is resolved in any way.