The Nets agreed to trade superstar Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns in a seismic blockbuster that will reshape the power structure in the NBA — and send Brooklyn back into a rebuild.
The news was first reported by ESPN, and has been confirmed by The Post.
The Nets also are sending veteran forward T.J. Warren to the Suns, and receiving Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap. They’ll get unprotected picks in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029.
After James Harden had engineered a trade to Philadelphia at last year’s trade deadline and Kyrie Irving demanded a move last week and was dealt to Dallas, now Durant is the third superstar to force his way out of Brooklyn in less than 12 months. What was supposed to be a superteam has now become one of the biggest disappointments in the history of the league.
This move had been percolating since Irving — who arrived with Durant as a package deal in 2019 — demanded a trade on Friday, and was shipped to the Dallas Mavericks two days later. But the seeds were sown during last season’s disappointing campaign, which ended in a first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
When Durant sprained his MCL last season, the Nets went 5-16. His concern over that capitulation and lack of fight during his absence prompted a June trade request, with the Suns one of his preferred landing spots (along with Miami).
Durant didn’t rescind that request until after an August sit-down in Los Angeles with Nets general manager Sean Marks and Nets team owner Joe Tsai. But it turned out to be just a temporary reprieve for the Nets.
Since spraining his other MCL on Jan. 8 in Miami, Durant has watched the Nets go 5-9 and deal Irving. Now he has followed his friend out the door. And with new Suns owner Mat Ishbia pushing hard to get deal done before Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, Durant finally got what he wanted.
Having overseen the collapse of this superteam that never was, now Marks will have to answer some tough questions going forward.
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