Kevin Durant has sent shockwaves throughout the NBA today. It has been revealed that the Brooklyn Nets star has requested a trade from the franchise. This news is quite shocking when you consider how Kyrie Irving had just expressed his desire to come back to the Nets by opting into his contract.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, KD had two teams at the top of his list right now. Those teams are the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns. Both of these franchises were first in their respective conferences this year, which means the addition of KD would immediately make them runaway favorites to win an NBA championship.
This news has blown up social media as fans and pundits react to the news. There is no doubt that everyone is surprised by the bombshell report, although some people are taking a more cynical approach. Joel Embiid appears to be one of those cynics as he simply tweeted “LOL.”
Embiid’s reaction could be seen as a dig towards Ben Simmons, who was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers, and now, won’t have KD by his side, as advertised.
No matter how you swing this, KD leaving the Nets is a nightmare scenario for the franchise. With just Kyrie and Ben Simmons left standing, there isn’t much of a path to success for this roster.