After a bunch of offseason turmoil, it seems the Brooklyn Nets are finally entering the 2022-23 season heading in the right direction. The organization was able to make amends with Kevin Durant, at least for now, and the star rescinded his trade request on Tuesday.
Durant pulling his trade request will have ripple effects across the league. With that being said, here are the two biggest winners and two biggest losers after Durant's decision to stay in Brooklyn.
Winners and losers after Kevin Durant pulls Nets trade request
Loser No. 2. Boston Celtics
Despite a NBA Finals appearance, the Boston Celtics had a very active offseason. The team was able to get a playmaking point guard in Malcolm Brogdon and a shooter in Danilo Gallinari. Still, they had their eyes on Kevin Durant and were viewed by many as the favorite to get him.
KD's decision to stay in Brooklyn affects many teams, with the Celtics right up there near the top of the list.
Firstly, the Nets are clearly one of the front-runners for the Eastern Conference and a top challenger for Boston. The addition of Ben Simmons' defense could be a game-changer in a potential rematch in the playoffs. Should both Durant and Irving be fully healthy and available, Brooklyn will definitely be a much more formidable opponent.
But in addition to a stronger Nets squad, it will be interesting to see how the trade rumors affect Boston. The Celtics were reportedly willing to trade Jaylen Brown plus other pieces for Durant. Will there be any locker room issues?
While Brown was seemingly upset when these trade rumors first came out, it has since been reported that Boston's front office kept in touch with him throughout the process. So, the hope is there will be no chemistry issues here, but time will tell.
Winner No. 2. Utah Jazz and Donovan Mitchell
The Utah Jazz are one team that could benefit from Durant's decision. Organizations pursuing the Nets star might now have to go after another All-Star player to compete for a title.
With Durant off the table, teams such as the Miami Heat and others could be more likely to go hard after Donovan Mitchell. With more suitors involved, the price for Mitchell could go up as part of a bidding war. Nobody has met Danny Ainge's extremely high asking price for Mitchell, but perhaps that changes now.
As for Mitchell, he has a better chance to join a contender with more trade suitors available.
Loser No. 1. LeBron James
Perhaps the biggest loser out of the end of Kevin Durant's Nets turmoil is LeBron James. The four-time NBA champion reportedly wanted a reunion with Kyrie Irving in Los Angeles. But now that Durant is back, Irving almost certainly isn't going anywhere for the time being.
The assumption was always that as long as Durant was still in Brooklyn, the Nets wouldn't trade Irving this offseason, even after the drama with him and his approaching free agency. They're a championship contender with their current core and will now try to add more to it for 2022-23.
This leaves LeBron with a Lakers roster that still needs a lot of work. The King really wanted to reunite with his former championship teammate, but now L.A. will have to find another Russell Westbrook trade out there to improve the roster. This very well still could happen, but a Westbrook-Irving trade was always the easiest route.
Winner No. 1. Sean Marks and NBA general managers
How much power does an NBA star have? There have been a number of trade requests in recent years, and most of the time the star ends up getting what he wants. But it seems we hit a limit here.
Kevin Durant asked for his trade despite having four years left on his contract. He then asked for Nets general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash to be fired.
Nets owner Joe Tsai held firm, and ultimately Durant realized it was best for him to rescind his trade request and play for Brooklyn in 2022-23, even with Marks and Nash still aboard. While star players have a lot of power in the NBA, the front office still has some as well and can wield it some circumstances whether or not a player agrees with the decision.
Tsai and Marks have to be happy with how things wound up playing out, despite the situation getting ugly at times. Should the Nets win a title in 2022-23, this will prove that no matter what happens off the court, a good team can forget their differences after the opening tip.
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