Bucks center believes trade for 3x DPOY slowed down Kevin Durant's exit from Brooklyn Nets

Milwaukee Bucks center Bobby Portis believes the trade of 3x Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves impacted Kevin Durant's situation with the Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant shook the league when he demanded a trade on the first day of free agency.

When asked about Durant's trade situation, Portis offered an interesting take. He joined Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes on "Posted Up", where he said:

"I think the first thing that comes to mind is, like me personally, I think the Rudy Gobert trade kinda slowed it down. That was a whole lot. That was like four-five-six draft picks and four-five players. That's like nine players, bro. Not trying to compare it, but like, if I'm Brooklyn, I need it all!"

Portis went on to highlight Durant's tremendous talent and value on the court. However, he acknowledged how complicated the situation was for Brooklyn.

"It's definitely a tough situation for the Brooklyn Nets to be in, obviously. To have one of the best players in the world want to get traded put them in a tough situation because I know they don't really want to trade him. But at the same time, they've got to make the right decision for the organization."

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How did Rudy Gobert's move impact Kevin Durant's trade value?

Kevin Durant in action against the Boston Celtics

Rudy Gobert's trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves was one of the biggest moves of the offseason. They received Gobert from Utah Jazz in exchange for guards Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and forward Jarred Vanderbilt, along with guard Leandro Bolmaro, the draft rights to center Walker Kessler and Minnesota’s 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 first round picks and a 2026 first round pick swap.

This naturally affected how the Nets perceived their situation with Kevin Durant.

The Durant-Nets situation has descended into a stalemate. This is due to the high price tag the Nets have placed on their superstar.

Brooklyn has entertained offers from several teams, but to no avail. As the offseason has progressed, the avenues for a trade have also reduced drastically.

The meeting between Durant and owner Joe Tsai might alleviate the current problem. The Nets superstar asked the owner to pick between him and general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash.

Soon after the meeting, Tsai openly declared his support for the coaching staff. Hence, in an attempt to avoid a problematic situation with the front-office, the Nets may be forced to trade Durant for cheap.