Kevin Durant NBA Betting Odds for 2023 Season

When the Brooklyn Nets traded All-Star guard Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday – the deal was actually official on Monday; Irving will debut for the Mavs on Wednesday at the Los Angeles Clippers – the immediate scuttlebutt was that the Nets might trade Kevin Durant, too. Durant and Irving are tight and both wanted out of Brooklyn this summer but the Nets were able to calm the waters for a while.

Nets’ Kevin Durant Will Not Return Until After All-Star Break As Cam Thomas Thrives

Teams have been calling the Nets about Durant since Irving was dealt but Brooklyn has been saying KD is staying put – at least this season with the NBA Trade Deadline on Thursday. Durant has been engaged in conversations with owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks on the direction of the franchise and its ability to be a championship contender.

“I was not a part of them. If these conversations did happen, I was not there. So I can’t say if they happened or not, but I know I wasn’t there. But what I will say is, Kevin wants to win,” Coach Jacque Vaughn said.

Durant is under contract through the 2025-26 campaign and will be a key if they are going to contend this season and beyond. KD is currently sidelined with an MCL sprain in his right knee. He is likely to return after the All-Star break – and will not be able to play in it. The Nets’ first game after the break is Feb. 24 at the Chicago Bulls. Durant is averaging 29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per contest in 39 games.

Vaughn said his star forward is able to do on-court work but is not cleared for contact. Vaughn stopped short of declaring Durant out until after the break but admitted it will be a stretch.

“I won’t step on, you know, across that line a little bit, but what I’ll say (is) the days are adding up, and he has progressed,” Vaughn said. “Whether that’s going to be enough of a progression, I can’t really answer that one.”

It’s possible the Nets add a player such as Toronto’s Fred VanVleet by Thursday’s deadline. The Nets created a roster spot on Tuesday when they agreed to trade forward Kessler Edwards and cash to the Sacramento Kings, sources said. The Nets saved potentially $8 million in salary and luxury tax with the deal.

Despite a recent slide, the Nets remain fifth in the Eastern Conference at 32-22, just one game behind fourth-place Cleveland. In the three games since Irving’s trade demand/departure, second-year guard Cam Thomas has blown up.

Thomas – who’s 21 years and 117 days old – scored 44 points on Saturday against the Wizards, then followed that up with 47 points in a loss to the Clippers on Monday and 43 points on Tuesday in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. In doing so, he became the youngest player in NBA history with three consecutive 40-point games. The previous mark was held by Allen Iverson, who had five consecutive 40-point outings in April 1997 during his rookie season. Thomas is the only Nets player to achieve the feat since the team joined the NBA in 1976. Rick Barry pulled it off in 1972 when the Nets were in the ABA.

In the first half of Tuesday’s game, Thomas scored 24 points and became the first player aged 21 or younger to score at least 20 points in four straight halves since LeBron James did so in 2005. Thomas is shooting a combined 42-for-75 (56%) from the field in this three-game stretch. At the line, he’s shooting 90%, a remarkable 36-of-40.

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“It’s great that he’s getting to show what he’s capable of doing. I don’t think he’s ever get to a position where he doubted himself. I think for us as a group, an organization, we never doubted him. He’s taking full advantage of the opportunity and producing,” Vaughn said.

Thomas is giving the Nets hope that they’ve stashed a hidden gem on the bench for the past two seasons. He’s earned a much larger role, even with the pending addition of guard Spencer Dinwiddie from the Irving trade. Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, also acquired from Dallas, should debut on Thursday at home vs. Chicago.

“I think he has definitely opened a lot of eyes,” Vaughn said of Thomas. “What the rotations look like going forward, we’ll see when we get everyone, but he’s a guy, like I said from the beginning, we have not waned in our belief in what Cam can do and help us win. And so when we get our full roster together, we’ll put the pieces together and see where he fits in that rotation.”

Brooklyn is 5-9 without Durant in this current absence. Including Thursday, the Nets have four games remaining before the break.

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