Kevin Durant Trade Rumors Now Include NBA Rookie Of The Year

The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly 'angling' for Rookie Of The Year Scottie Barnes from the Raptors in exchange for Kevin Durant. Toronto wasn't on KD's list, but it seems the Nets just want the best return possible. Hard to imagine any package the Raptors presented would top the Celtics' offer headlining Jaylen Brown, right?

A proven stud over a player that shows star potential? Surely a matter of who you ask.

It's clear that the Nets want young controllable assets to build around, which makes sense given the experience with KD, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Every move they made was for the short term and involved high risk-high reward roster tweaks. Now, Brooklyn plans on pushing forward with players possessing less control over where they play. Essentially choosing young players over stars that have gigantic egos.

Sounds a bit controlling, but isn't this what we'd all want? An understanding that if you're paying a player millions of dollars that you expect them to see this opportunity through with the organization that pays their bills? We can't blame Nets GM Sean Marks for this at all -- he's doing what needs to be done.

We've also been given no indication the Raptors would be willing to swap Barnes for Durant. Two players that've been compared to one another would make for one heck of a trade. We'll see who blinks first. And if we had to guess, it's looking more likely by the day that KD stays put after shaking the boat with his trade request. Awkward.