Report: Nets want Barnes from Raptors in any deal for Durant
With the rumours surrounding the Kevin Durant sweepstakes starting to quiet down, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday that the Toronto Raptors will likely have to give up their Rookie of the Year winner in Scottie Barnes in order to get a deal done with the Brooklyn Nets.
"Brooklyn right now wouldn't consider a deal without Scottie Barnes," Wojnarowski said on ESPN's Get Up.
Wojnarowski also reports that the Raptors have no interest in trading Barnes.
Durant, a 33-year-old 12-time All-Star, reportedly requested a trade out of Brooklyn in late June with the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat reportedly being his preferred destinations.
The two-time NBA champion averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists over 55 regular-season games with the underperforming Nets in 2021-22. The Nets were swept in the opening round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
Barnes, 20, averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists over 74 games with the Raptors en route to claiming Rookie of the Year honours.
Toronto selected the Florida State product fourth overall in the 2021 NBA Draft.