Kevin Durant requests trade: NBA stars including Ja Morant, Joel Embiid, Trae Young react on Twitter

Before free agency even officially began, NBA Twitter was already looking more chaotic than usual on Thursday. This is mostly due to reports that Kevin Durant has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. 

The legendary forward still has four years left in his contract with the Nets, but that is not deterring hme from wanting a change of scenery, teams from wanting him or any fan from speculating. Players, just like NBA fans, are sharing their thoughts on social media.

Ja Morant only needed two words, and called out one of Durant’s nicknames: “easy money.” Joel Embiid processed it all while laughing out loud. Meanwhile, Trae Young has accepted that this is all very much not a dream. 

Larry Nance Jr. needed a second to gather his thoughts and shared what seems to be an extremely accurate representation of how many of us are feeling. But if there is one thing we know for sure, is that this is really not the best time to catch up on sleep, as Toronto Raptors power forward Thad Young found out after a nap.

Meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma was ready for the action and came fully prepared with popcorn to enjoy watching the NBA world turn on its head. After all, the fun of the NBA doesn’t stop just because it’s the offseason, just as Josh Hart and Nicolas Batum pointed out. 

There is a lot of hoping and speculating going on, but nobody was more prepared than Jusuf Nurkić, who five days ago tweeted a picture of Durant wearing a Portland Trail Blazers jersey while standing next to Damian Lillard. Nurkić contributed to Thursday’s conversation by simply retweeting the not-so-subtle message of where he would like to see Durant go. 

Paolo Banchero, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, hasn’t even played his first game in the league yet, but he already has a vision and knows exactly who he would like as a teammate when he begins his career with the Orlando Magic.

The news of Durant leaving the Nets has shaken up more than just the NBA world. Other sports figures and teams are also pitching in to see if they can get him to their city. For starters, the Los Angeles Rams are in the NFL, but they still wanted to remind Durant that four years ago, he admitted that playing sports in L.A. does not sound like a horrible idea.

There are two Los Angeles teams Durant could pick from, but Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett would specifically like to see him wear purple and gold. 

But not so fast, Chad Johnson is not a rookie when it comes to this stuff and he has a different city in mind. He takes partial credit for getting Jimmy Butler to Miami, and he is hoping to do the same with Durant by sending a friendly text.

Johnson might be on to something as there are reports that say one of Durant’s preferred destinations would be the Miami Heat. The Phoenix Suns are also strong contenders. For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens.

Follow along with CBS Sports for all the latest developments in the NBA free agency period.