Alas, Kevin Durant won’t get traded to the Sixers — or anywhere else

Well, it was fun while it lasted, but Kevin Durant will not be traded to the Sixers — or anywhere else.

The future Hall of Famer and his longtime manager Rich Kleiman met with the Nets’ brass — Sean Marks, Steve Nash, Joe Tsai, Clara Wu Tsai — where all parties decided to “move forward with our partnership.”

The market never appeared to pick up serious steam. The Boston Celtics seemed to have the best reported offer centered around All-Star wing Jaylen Brown, but it never felt like a trade was close after KD asked for one back in late June. This also seemingly slams the door on any Kyrie Irving talks.

This isn’t the greatest news for the Sixers. Not simply because they did not acquire Durant, but because the Nets have the potential to be a formidable team again. With Irving’s vaccination status no longer an obstacle and adding a healthy Ben Simmons to the mix, Brooklyn becomes a dangerous team.

The NBA world now turns to Utah where Donovan Mitchell seems to be the only star that could potentially be on the move before the season starts. While the Sixers won’t be in the mix for Mitchell, the fallout from a potential blockbuster could be worth monitoring. Patrick Beverley or Jordan Clarkson would be intriguing targets if/when the Jazz decide to really blow it up.

So, close down your trade machines ... at least for KD.