After a rather eventful start to NBA free agency on June 30, things have seemingly quieted down with just a few signings and trades here and there. Apparently, Kevin Durant's trade demand had a role in that.
According to NBA insider Keith Smith, some free agents currently available are waiting to see what happens with Durant, as well as Kyrie Irving. The thinking is teams might need to fill out their rosters after a deal.
“Some teams might need to fill a lot of rotation minutes after a trade. We can be patient for now,” one NBA agent told Smith.
Now this certainly makes sense. Any deal for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would require a lot of moving parts, and so there is definitely an opportunity for the remaining NBA free agents to get a significant role if they wait out and see how things pan out.
For one, a trade for Durant would require the receiving team to part ways with several players. That team alone would probably need to get solid roster guys and might be willing to pay more or promise more playing time.
Talking to some folks around the NBA, it sounds like some of the better free agents on the board are waiting to see what happens with KD and Kyrie trades.
One agent told me: "Some teams might need to fill a lot of rotation minutes after a trade. We can be patient for now."
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 3, 2022
For what it's worth, though, the Brooklyn Nets are not rushing to trade Durant. As mentioned, they have a massive asking price and are willing to wait until the right offer comes along. Kyrie Irving's trade, meanwhile, is expected to only get serious traction when Brooklyn has traded KD.
With that said, it looks like NBA fans will have to wait for some more time before anything big happens and the dominoes start falling.
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