Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant. SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Report: Nets hope to keep star Kevin Durant and 'run this team back'

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Aug 19, 2022 12:11 AM ET

As the saga between disgruntled star Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets continues to unfold, a new wrinkle surfaced on Thursday.

Appearing on ESPN's "Get Up!", Brian Windhorst (h/t Real GM) thinks the Nets want to keep their core for another run.

Despite not receiving an extension, Windhorst believes guard Kyrie Irving is "invested" in the Nets for next season. Now, the hope is they convince Durant to end his trade demand and return to the fold.

"Right now, I think the Nets want to run this team back and they're hoping Kevin Durant agrees," Windhorst said. "The way they're conducting trade talks and the prices they are asking has teams out there thinking they don't really want to trade Kevin Durant anyway. They want to bring this team back. We'll see if Kevin Durant goes along with that in training camp."

Earlier this month, Durant allegedly asked Nets owner Joe Tsai to trade him or fire general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash.

While the Nets rejected his trade request, the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, and Toronto Raptors, to name a few, reportedly have interest in Durant. In light of this, many speculated that Durant would retire if the Nets failed to honor his request, which 12-time All-Star denied on Monday.

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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