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Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant could soon be a trade target once again. This time, the Nets should be prepared to flip the switch on a deal.

Brooklyn wasn't willing to make a trade when Durant requested one during the offseason. Instead, the Nets convinced the 34-year-old to suit up for another run alongside Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons. That run, though, is off to a rocky start.

The Nets have already relieved head coach Steve Nash, and Irving has been suspended after sharing an antisemitic video and failing to disavow antisemitism. Brooklyn is 4-6 on the season, and teams are reportedly gearing up for a run at acquiring Durant.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported on the Lowe Post podcast (via HoopsHype) that "the whole league is ready now to reengage" in trade discussions involving the 12-time All-Star. This shouldn't come as a shock, given Brooklyn's start to the season and Durant's presumed desire to win now.

The Nets don't appear poised to challenge for a title this season. It doesn't help that Durant and other players are reportedly unhappy with Simmons.

"Simmons has been a source of frustration for Kevin Durant for others on the Nets so far, because he has been unable to stay on the floor but prior to that, he has shown that he's a long way away from being back to an impactful player," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today (h/t Talkin' NBA).

If Durant wants out again, it would make plenty of sense for general manager Sean Marks to try loading up for the 2023 draft and beyond.

One unnamed front-office executive told The Athletic's Sam Amick that this would be the logical course of action for Marks and the Nets.

"Just looking at Sean and his history, where he’s come from and what he’s done in Brooklyn, and then knowing that you have these (high-caliber guys) in this draft, I don’t see how he doesn’t (tear it down)," the executive said. "... But left to his own devices, I think it’d only be natural to expect that they move Durant."

Dealing Durant would presumably bring back a massive trade package, ideally one involving multiple 2023 draft picks. While Brooklyn still wouldn't likely get a shot at the draft's top prize, Victor Wembanyama, the Nets could still put some key players in place for their next foundation.

"If I’m the Nets, I’m looking to get a young star and a bunch of picks to retool the team," another executive told Amick. "They’ve done it in the past already, and they can do it again."

The argument against trading Durant is that he's still a top-10 player and the Nets may be able to salvage their season under a new head coach. That coach is widely expected to be suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka.

According to Wojnarowski, an independent law firm investigated Udoka and "found that he used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman."

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium has reported that Udoka is the front-runner for the Nets job:

Ime Udoka has emerged as a strong frontrunner to be the next Brooklyn Nets head coach and the sides have begun discussions, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Nets are in the midst of their search process and are continuing to do due diligence.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 1, 2022

And Marks' belief in Udoka may have him reluctant to deal his biggest star, even if that's the best long-term play.

"Trading him isn’t something the Nets appear to be considering, but Marks should revisit it if he truly wants to operate in the best interests of the organization," Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill wrote last week. "Perhaps foolishly, Marks believes Ime Udoka can rescue his franchise."

This team may be too far gone for any head coach to salvage in its current iteration. Off-court uncertainty aside, the roster has a palpable lack of chemistry. A new coach may get the team to play more cohesively, but this doesn't feel like a team capable of making a deep postseason run.

Brooklyn claimed the seventh seed last year and was ousted by the Boston Celtics in the first round. The notion that a new coach will suddenly make this squad a title contender is flawed, and there's no guarantee that Udoka will be that coach.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, "strong voices" have urged governor Joe Tsai to "back off" Brooklyn's intent to hire Udoka.

The reality is that the Nets don't have a head coach in place yet, they have a roster that isn't on the same page, and they're a tier or two below top Eastern Conference teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers. The chances of fielding a contender—and thus keeping Durant content—this season are slim.

There's plenty of time between now and the Feb. 9 trade deadline to see how things unfold and actually agree to a deal. However, if the "entire league" is truly ready to start putting offers for Durant on the table, Brooklyn needs to open up the bidding now.

Zion Williamson is averaging a solid 22.7 points per game this season, all after missing the 2021-22 campaign, but he's doing it entirely at the basket.

According to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, Williamson hasn't attempted a shot further than eight feet from the rim. But for now, the young superstar is hesitant to mess with a good thing.

"It's a mental thing for me," Williamson told O'Connor about his reluctance to shoot from the perimeter. "I can shoot the faders; I can shoot the middies; I can shoot the threes. But in the game, I'm such a perfectionist. I'm so locked in that mindset that the best shot is the closest shot to the basket. I feel like when I get to the basket at will, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

It isn't "broke," but it isn't ideal, either. The Pelicans are 5-4, and Williamson extending his range would make him even harder to defend. He's proved he can do it in the past, shooting 42.9 percent from three as a rookie, though that nosedived to 29.4 percent in his sophomore campaign.

This isn't a Ben Simmons situation for New Orleans—Williamson still aggressively attacks the basket, attempting 18 shots per game—but it will be a limitation to his game if he doesn't push past his current mental block.

"[Assistant coach Teresa Weatherspoon and player development coach Corey Brewer] help me break that mental block," he told O'Connor about working with the pair on his shooting during practices. "It's just a matter of shooting it and being OK with it if I miss it."

LeBron James' former teammate, Denver Nuggets wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, offered a blunt assessment of the current state of the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday.

"Just watching the games, it just looks like there's no basketball over there," he told ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "It's just playing pickup. It's hard to watch sometimes. So from me to him, just get the team together, and I just want to see that spark in him again. I don't think I see that spark in Bron. So, hopefully, he can get it back."

KCP, who played with James during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons and won a title with him in the Orlando bubble, said the key was surrounding him with plenty of shooters.

"The spacing was great," he said of the title-winning season. "The spacing gives driving lanes for Bron and [Anthony Davis], where Bron didn't like to shoot as much threes. So it gives him driving lanes, and when he does see the help, he's a tremendous passer and he would find us."

The 2-7 Lakers, meanwhile, are devoid of great shooting, hitting on just 28.4 percent of their three-point attempts this season. Even the Lakers are acknowledging as much at this point.

"I mean, to be completely honest, we're not a team that's constructed of great shooting," James told reporters after the season opener. "And that's just what the truth of the matter is. It's not like we're sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team."

Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka said on media day: "I think in terms of shooting, that's a needed skill. Some of that can come from the outside, by additional roster moves or roster moves throughout the season."

The Lakers seemingly addressed one of their biggest concerns coming into the season, with Russell Westbrook thriving in recent games coming off the bench. The trio of Westbrook, James and AD didn't play particularly well together in the starting lineup, so Westbrook's buy-in to a sixth-man role has been a welcome development.

But like James and AD, Westbrook is another player best suited to playing in a lineup loaded with shooting. And if the Lakers are going to address that need, Westbrook is still the most likely player going out the door.

At some point, the 14th-place team in the Western Conference is going to have to do something. The current roster isn't cutting it, potentially wasting one of the few remaining years James has left in his career.

The Los Angeles Lakers could end up being a landing spot for Kevin Durant amid the slow start to the season for both teams.

One NBA executive discussed the situation with Sam Amick of The Athletic:

I'm assuming there's some sort of agreement with Kevin. Like, 'Look, if you want to move, we'll move you. And we're not going to move you to New Orleans and we're not going to move you to Sacramento and we’re not going to move you to Indiana.' So if the best Brooklyn can do is the Lakers, then if I was the Lakers, that's what I'd be waiting on.

Durant requested a trade in the offseason before the Nets announced in August they would "move forward with our partnership."

The superstar could renew his trade request after the team's 4-6 start, especially with friend and teammate Kyrie Irving suspended for sharing an antisemitic video and failing to disavow antisemitism.

Durant previously said his trade request was due to the "uncertainty" surrounding the organization after initially planning to play with Irving and James Harden. Harden is no longer with the team and there are even more unknowns with Irving suspended and head coach Steve Nash fired.

Another executive told Amick that Durant could renew his trade request if Irving does not return.

"I just can't imagine KD wanting to be there, not because of his relationship with Kyrie but because the level of talent that’s going to be on that roster at this point in his career (will be subpar)," the executive said.

Things aren't any better in Los Angeles with the Lakers just 2-7 to start the year after missing the playoffs completely in 2021-22. It could still give Durant a fresh start with three years remaining on his contract.

Bill Simmons of The Ringer reported on his podcast the Lakers could make Anthony Davis available, while Russell Westbrook has been on the trade block since the end of last season.

It could help pair Durant and LeBron James in L.A., creating a duo of two of the best players of their generation.

Kyrie Irving may not have a future in the NBA.

"I think Kyrie might not play in the NBA again," one general manager told Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Other executives polled by Amick were more confident Irving would get another chance, but only one of the five front-office heads and six other executives showed interest in adding the guard to their own team.

"He will not be on (our team), but someone will (want him)," an executive said. "They always do for his talent."

The Brooklyn Nets suspended Irving for a minimum of five games for his promotion of an antisemitic film and his subsequent failure to disavow antisemitism afterward.

The Nets also listed six actions Irving must complete before he is reinstated:

Sources: Nets have delivered Kyrie Irving six items he must complete to return to team:

- Apologize/condemn movie
- $500K donation to anti-hate causes
- Sensitivity training
- Antisemitic training
- Meet with ADL, Jewish leaders
- Meet with Joe Tsai to demonstrate understanding

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 6, 2022

Irving has since apologized in a post on Instagram, but his future with the team remains in doubt.

Meanwhile, there was already a low opinion of the 30-year-old around the league this past offseason. Irving admitted at media day there weren't many options available for him when he considered declining his player option and becoming a free agent:

"Were you close to being gone?" 👀

"Yeah... there were options, but not many" https://t.co/Z2434Ajf3i

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 26, 2022

Irving played just 29 regular-season games last season after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in June that the Los Angeles Lakers were the only known team pursuing the seven-time All-Star.

With Irving in the final year of his current contract, there could be limited opportunities for him if the Nets decide to move on after the latest incident.

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly open to trading Anthony Davis as they look to save their sinking season.

Bill Simmons of The Ringer said on The Bill Simmons Podcast (1:09:00 mark) that there has been "buzz" behind the scenes about blowing things up with a Davis deal rather than going through with trading Russell Westbrook:

"There's some buzz, some buzzing that AD might be available. That that's a plan B. Because the Westbrook trade—or whatever they think they can get for Westbrook and whether you'd want to give up future assets—maybe that doesn't even make sense because what are you getting if you're the Lakers?

"You've got Davis here, who I don't think has looked the same for a couple years—certainly not close to Bubble Davis. That's the last time we saw vintage, 2018 Pelicans-level Davis. ... I don't know what the endgame is with this Lakers team, but I know the Pelicans have their pick. And I don't think, whatever they have, I don't think it's really fixable in a way to make them a playoff team."

Davis is under contract through the 2023-24 season and has a $43.2 million player option for 2024-25.

While the Lakers might listen to a Davis deal, it makes no practical sense. No team would give up a player of his equivalent skill set—or better—in a trade. Any team looking to acquire the eight-time All-Star would do so in hopes he'd lead it to a championship, and thus it would want to retain as many high-level assets as possible.

Superstar-for-superstar trades rarely happen in the NBA for a reason. It runs counter to the logic of team building.

If the Lakers decided they want to blow things up and start a rebuild, only then would a Davis trade make sense. They would find no shortage of suitors willing to part with multiple first-round picks and young players, though the deal would likely pale in comparison to the package the Lakers gave up in 2019 to acquire Davis.

It doesn't take a deep dive into the Twitter replies to find suggestions of a Davis-for-Kyrie Irving swap, which makes no basketball sense for the Lakers—and that's before delving into whether organizations would even want Irving on their teams given his promotion of an antisemitic film and evasiveness when asked by media if he held antisemitic views. Adding Irving and subtracting Davis would give the Lakers zero reliable rim protection and force a nearly 38-year-old LeBron James into a full-time power forward role.

All while giving the Lakers another primary ball-handler who does not mesh well with Russell Westbrook.

So, to wrap: Would the Lakers trade Davis? If the Brooklyn Nets decided to blow things up and offered their other star in Kevin Durant, then it might be a conversation worth merit. But Brooklyn held on to Durant all summer after his trade request and appears committed to attempting a turnaround.

As the Brooklyn Nets' tumultuous season continues, some are reportedly encouraging governor Joe Tsai not to hire suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka to fill Brooklyn's open coaching position.

According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, "strong voices" have pushed Tsai to hire someone else to take over for fired head coach Steve Nash. That is especially the case "given the considerable turmoil Brooklyn has already faced this season."

It wasn't long ago the Nets seemed to be on an ideal trajectory.

Heading into the 2021-22 season, they had a Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden and championship aspirations. Then the season started, and Irving missed time because he was unvaccinated against COVID-19, Durant was sidelined at times for injuries and Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brooklyn was swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Celtics, and an offseason of Irving and Durant trade rumors escalated to the point that the latter gave Tsai an ultimatum to either trade him or fire Nash and general manager Sean Marks, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The organization supported Nash during the offseason, but they ultimately fired him after a 2-5 start. The team has since suspended Irving for promoting an antisemitic film on his social media accounts and not apologizing or denouncing the message when given multiple opportunities.

As for the head coaching position, Charania previously reported Udoka was the "strong front-runner" for the position.

While Udoka led the Celtics to the NBA Finals last season, Boston suspended him ahead of the 2022-23 campaign for at least one year.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported an independent law firm investigated the coach and "found that he used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman."

What's more, he reportedly used "verbiage" that was "deemed especially concerning coming from a workplace superior" and made a reinstatement after just one season "difficult."

The Golden State Warriors have gone a shocking 0-6 on the road this season, part of the defending champion's disappointing 3-7 start on the season.

But Klay Thompson—who called the team's recent five-game losing streak the "road trip from hell"—believes the Dubs will turn things around.

"We just need to bring more of a sense of urgency," he told reporters Sunday. "We had a long run last year, but 2022 is over. It's time to kick into high gear and play that championship level of basketball that we're used to. I fully expect us to do that."

"We know how good we are in this building," he added of returning to San Francisco's Chase Center for a two-game stint this week. "So I think we're going to be off to a fresh start."

The Warriors weren't a great road team last season, either, going 22-19 in the regular season away from home and 5-5 in the postseason. Contrast that to home marks of 31-10 in the regular season and 11-1 in the playoffs.

Head coach Steve Kerr attributed the team's early road woes to the natural peaks and valleys of an 82-game season.

"There are times in the NBA season when things can go off the rails a little bit," he told reporters Sunday. "A big part of being a great team, being a solid organization, is just understanding how to work through that."

As Kerr noted, the Dubs had a tough stretch between February and March of last season, going 2-9. That started a series of runs—four straight wins, followed by three straight losses, followed by a 1-4 stint before closing the regular season on a five-game winning streak.

And then came the postseason run and the team's fourth title in eight years. All's well that ends well.

So the Warriors have proved to be streaky in the past. They are a far better team in San Francisco than they are on the road. In many ways, everything that has happened thus far feels somewhat in character, even if it's a tough pill to swallow to start a season.

It isn't ideal, especially given the drama before the season even began. But winning a title provides a level of confidence that no slump is insurmountable for this group.

The Los Angeles Lakers are on another losing streak.

Los Angeles lost 114-100 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, dropping its record to an ugly 2-7 on the season. The Purple and Gold lost their first five games, won two in a row and have now lost their past two.

To be fair, the Cavaliers have been one of the best teams in the league this season. They have won eight in a row after dropping the opener and cruised in the second half behind Donovan Mitchell (33 points, five rebounds and two assists) and Darius Garland (24 points, seven assists and four rebounds).

That didn't stop social media from criticizing Los Angeles:

Putting together an Odell Beckham Sr-style supercut of LeBron’s Lakers teammates missing shots he set them up for #FreeLBJ

— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) November 6, 2022

The Cavs are good. The Lakers are… not.

— Football Chopz (@Pchopz_) November 6, 2022

#Cavs started off the game today allowing 36 points in the first quarter against the Lakers.

They allowed just 36 in the entire second half.

— Danny Cunningham (@RealDCunningham) November 6, 2022

3rd Quarter Lakers are GARBAGE pic.twitter.com/9ouPebWRZd

— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) November 6, 2022

The Lakers waived the white flag and have cut it to single digits. This is hilarious.

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) November 6, 2022

Stop freezing him out of the Offense in the 2nd Halves of Games @Lakers pic.twitter.com/3qMmHHZxit

— KBs GOAT (@KbsGoat) November 6, 2022

Mitchell and Darius Garland combining for 57 PTS after beating the Lakers pic.twitter.com/oYyNIRnU4u

— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) November 6, 2022

idk if this Lakers team can be fixed… Our role players can’t compete.

Wenyen Gabriel, Toscano-Anderson, Troy Brown Jr, Pat Bev, and Kendrick Nunn aren’t winning you games lol

— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) November 6, 2022

LeBron James with this Lakers team pic.twitter.com/0oekLkvX80

— McNeil (@Reflog_18) November 6, 2022

Sunday figured to be an uphill battle for the Lakers, but they built a six-point halftime lead with Anthony Davis stuffing the stat sheet, Russell Westbrook playing well in his sixth-man role and LeBron James (who scored 27 in Sunday's loss) playing the role of secondary scorer.

Westbrook wasn't only scoring, he was facilitating while playing true point guard off the bench with more freedom to attack.

However, much of Westbrook's positive momentum was undercut by his seven turnovers. Giveaways helped the Cavaliers string together defensive stops in the third quarter, as the Lakers scored an ugly 16 points in the period.

It didn't get much better in the fourth, as Cleveland pulled away for the victory.

Next up for the Lakers is a road game against the Utah Jazz on Monday when they will look to snap out of their latest skid.

Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons addressed the unraveling of his Philadelphia 76ers tenure and didn't hold back with his criticism of former Sixers teammates or head coach Doc Rivers.

Simmons shouldered a lot of blame for Philly's exit in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals. Joel Embiid cited his pass to Matisse Thybulle underneath the basket as a turning point in the series-clinching loss. Rivers balked when asked whether the 6'10" playmaker could be the starting point guard for a championship team.

Simmons' relationship with the Sixers never recovered.

"I definitely didn’t handle it the right way after the season, but there’s two sides," he said to the Sydney Morning Herald's Konrad Marshall. "Your teammates are supposed to have your back. Your coaches are supposed to have your back. And I didn’t have that at all."

The three-time All-Star also thought too much was made of his pass to Thybulle in the fourth quarter of Game 6.

Ben Simmons did not just pass this up... https://t.co/4JyM7ZHNkJ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 21, 2021

"If I could go back I would go up strong, go to the line," he said. "But there was so much emphasis on that moment. I made a bad play, but loads of guys made bad plays. I’m not the reason we didn’t win."

Simmons began a holdout ahead of the 2021-22 season in hopes of forcing an exit out of Philadelphia. He was ultimately suspended before the opener after he showed little effort on the court upon rejoining the team for practice.

"I still wasn’t ready in my head. I wasn't in a place to get on the court and play," Simmons told Marshall about what happened. "I went to Coach and said, 'I'm not ready yet to get back on the court, I need some time.' He says, 'Well, I'm going to put you out there regardless.' Okay, so now you're just trying to f--k with me."

The 26-year-old didn't get his fresh start until his February trade to the Nets, but the trade has done little to reset the general narrative that took form following the 2021 playoffs.

Back trouble prevented him from suiting up for Brooklyn for the remainder of last year. By the time the postseason rolled around, even some of his teammates seemed to grow tired of the uncertainty over his playing status.

Finally healthy again, Simmons showed his rust to open 2022-23 before he was sidelined yet again, this time because of a knee problem. He has averaged 6.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists in six games for the Nets.