Lowe says Nets not high on Wiggs, JP as centerpiece of KD trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
A few weeks ago, there were rumblings that the Warriors had interest in a blockbuster trade to bring Kevin Durant back to the Bay Area. There even was a report that KD had interest in the reunion.
But now, a little over three weeks after Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, all signs point to a Warriors deal not happening.
If the Warriors and Nets were to come to some sort of framework agreement on a massive trade, the main pieces going back to Brooklyn surely would have to be first-time All-Star Andrew Wiggins and 2021-22 breakout star Jordan Poole, in addition to possibly some combination of Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman and Moses Moody, if not all of them, as well as multiple future first-round draft picks.
But ESPN NBA analyst Zach Lowe believes the Nets aren’t convinced the headliners of the package are the stars they are seeking in a Durant trade.
“That’s where you negotiate, though because you wouldn’t end up giving up all of those players,” Lowe said during a conversation with Warriors reporter Kendra Andrews during the latest episode of “The Lowe Post” podcast. “That’s just too many players to give up if you’re giving up a lot of picks too. By the way, the Warriors, for a good team, they only owe one future first-round pick. They owe it to Memphis via the [Andre] Iguodala salary dump [in 2019], which feels like eons ago. They’re actually set up to … they have more flexibility. trade-wise, not financially. Financially, they are breaking all the barriers, but more flexibility trade-wise than most teams.
“That’s where you would negotiate. You would end up keeping a Kuminga or a Moody. The issues are Wiggins and Simmons. You run into the designated rookie fiasco. The intel I have is that the Nets are not super high on Wiggins or Poole as sort of centerpiece players. Then you get to the other guys who are relatively unproven in the NBA. So I don’t know if there ever really was a deal there that the Nets would have done. Obviously, you have to explore it if you’re the Warriors.”
Lowe’s reporting comes two days after Warriors president Bob Myers told NBA.com’s Mark Medina that he likes his roster as is and wants to give them a chance to win another title together.
It’s unclear if Myers’ latest comments are an attempt to build up the young players in light of their names being mentioned in trade rumors.
RELATED: Steph agrees with priceless KD joke by Manning at ESPYs
And despite how the Nets might feel about Wiggins and Poole, the Warriors hold them in high regard. Both have blossomed in Golden State’s system and culture, and appear to be big parts of the team’s future.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
