Brooklyn Nets not rushing to trade Kevin Durant trade, continue contact with Phoenix Suns, per reports

The Phoenix Suns are still in contention to land megastar Kevin Durant, but Brooklyn Nets general manger Sean Marks and team owner Joe Tsai are not rushing and remain determined to explore all trade options to get the best deal, league sources told New York Post on Sunday.

Marks is reportedly holding out for a young All-Star and several draft picks, meaning the Suns will need to include a third team as a trade partner.

The 12-time All-Star Durant has four years left on his $198 million contract.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Nets have been in “consistent contact” with the Suns and Miami Heat after Durant requested a trade on the first day of free agency June 30.

Durant has Phoenix and Miami among his top preferred destinations, but a deal might require a suitable third or fourth trade partner to make it happen.

A trade is not deemed imminent or at an advanced stage.

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“Two of the teams that Kevin Durant would like to play with, the Phoenix Suns, the Miami Heat, they have both been in pretty consistent contact, I’m told,” Wojnarowski said Sunday on SportsCenter.

“I think both teams, individually, may not have enough to do a deal with Brooklyn without being able to go out and move some pieces around in three-team, four-team trades,” Wojnarowski added.

Superstar players have a recent history of heft in choosing their ideal next landing spot when requesting trades:

• James Harden was traded by the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets in January 2021, and then from the Nets to the Philadelphia 76ers this past February.

• Anthony Davis forced his way out of New Orleans to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in July 2019.

• Paul George was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to Los Angeles Clippers the same month as Davis.

But the Nets seemingly have the upper hand in where Durant could go next.

Wojnarowski added the Nets are assessing…