Report: Nuggets called Nets to “gauge the price tag” on Kevin Durant

***This story has been updated below***

The Denver Nuggets should finally be healthy for the 2022-23 season.

18 months after tearing his ACL, Jamal Murray will be back in the fold. Michael Porter Jr., hampered by a back injury last year that cost him all but nine games, should be ready to go. The back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic is on a mission to win the award for a third straight season. And new Denver GM Calvin Booth made his first big trade, sending Monte Morris and Will Barton to Washington for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

All the pieces seems to be in place for the Nuggets to make a legitimate run at their first NBA title. But that doesn’t mean Booth isn’t still picking up the phone to try to make this roster even better. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Booth recently phoned the Brooklyn Nets to ask about the availability of superstar Kevin Durant.

“The Philadelphia 76ers expressed recent interest in Durant while the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets also inquired with the Nets in late June and early July to gauge the price tag, according to sources,” Charania wrote on Monday morning.

The piece of news came in column from Charania in which he also said the Memphis Grizzlies are willing to send the Nets five first-round picks for Durant’s services. With the season about two months away, it looks like interest is once again picking up in the disgruntled star.

Does it make sense for Booth to place the call? Of course. It’s Durant we’re talking about. He’s a 12-time All Star, two-time champion and former MVP winner. Durant would instantly vault the Nuggets to favorites in the Western Conference alongside Jokic.

But it’s the price of what Brooklyn would want in return that’s the bigger hurdle. They’d certainly ask for Murray or Porter, and maybe both. You have to think promising young point guard Bones Hyland would be on their radar as well, along with a slew of draft selections.

If they wanted all three players and picks, that price may be too rich for Booth’s blood and it’s probably wise to stay away. However, if the Nuggets could keep Murray and “just” trade Porter, Hyland and picks for Durant, that’s worth striking a deal.

Regardless, the oddsmakers aren’t giving Durant to the Nuggets a ton of credibility. One site this morning is still listing 14 teams for where Durant could play next, with the Nuggets not even on the board. Good for Booth for making the inquiry, but for now it appears to be nothing more than that.

(Update 8/23 9:21 a.m.) –

The Durant saga has taken another turn on Tuesday morning, this time with the Nets saying he’ll be staying in Brooklyn.

pic.twitter.com/wQfhrKqUeM

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 23, 2022

It was always a long shot for Durant to end up on the Nuggets, but considering the amount of drama that always seems to follow him, maybe this is for the best.

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