(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The NBA is a short-memory league.
Those who were calling Sean Marks one of the best GMs in the league when he signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and traded for James Harden, then criticized him when things went south.
Fortunately, owner Joe Tsai sided with his employee amid all the mayhem, and Marks has delivered in a big way.
With Mikal Bridges crossing town to join the New York Knicks, the Nets have landed a historical pick haul for Kevin Durant.
As shown by Underdog NBA on Twitter, Marks turned Durant into Cam Johnson, eight unprotected first-round picks — one of which wound up being Noah Clowney — a protected first-round pick, two pick swaps (one protected, one unprotected), and three second-round picks.
Nets’ final haul for Kevin Durant:
Cam Johnson
8 unprotected 1st-round picks
1 protected 1st-round pick
2028 1st-round pick swap
2028 unprotected pick swap
3 2nd-round picks
— Underdog NBA (@Underdog__NBA) June 26, 2024
The Kevin Durant trade didn’t seem so good at first, but now that they have moved on from Bridges and flipped him into so many assets, it seems like the Nets got the better deal here.
It’s not Sean Marks’ fault that Durant and Kyrie Irving turned on the organization.
Also, the fact that they traded all their players except for Irving to their preferred destinations speaks volumes of how things went down behind closed doors.
Still, when they were asked to contend, Marks pulled off some huge signings and also brought in proven veterans like Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Short memory league or not, Marks deserves his flowers, and the apology needs to be as loud as the disrespect was.
The post Nets Got An Unbelievable Final Haul In Kevin Durant Trade appeared first on The Cold Wire.