The NBA world is on hold as the Nets try to figure out which lucrative package they'll accept to trade Kevin Durant. The superstar requested a trade Thursday, and since then the rumor mill has spun into overdrive.
The discussion about possible destinations for Durant has included the Hawks and Pelicans, two teams with young cores. Any trade between the Nets and the Hawks would have to begin with Trae Young, while Zion Williamson would likely have to be a centerpiece in a potential deal with the Pelicans.
But the NBA's collective bargaining agreement makes those deals an impossibility. Thanks to a part of the CBA called the "rookie exception," Williamson and Young are prohibited from sharing a roster with Ben Simmons, whom the Nets traded for at the deadline last season in the James Harden deal.
Simmons has yet to appear in a game with the Nets and hasn't played at all since the 2020-21 playoffs with the 76ers.
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What is the rookie exception?
The rookie exemption, in short, helps teams who don't spend a ton of money in free agency retain the star players they drafted. It allows teams to pay rookies and not have it count toward their salary cap.
The Pelicans signed Williamson to a five-year max extension Saturday worth up to $231 million. Ben Simmons signed a five-year, $177 million extension with the 76ers that now belongs to the Nets, and Young is on a five-year extension that is now worth $215 million.
Why can't Zion Williamson or Trae Young be on a team with Ben Simmons?
One quirk of the rookie exception is that it prohibits two players under it from playing on the same team.
As long as Simmons is on the Nets, neither Williamson nor Young can be the centerpiece of a trade for Durant.
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While the rule is quirky, it prevents teams from circumventing the salary cap entirely and stockpiling young stars on max contracts, difficult as that would be. As we can see in this case, it is theoretically possible.
Could Ben Simmons be traded?
If the Nets wanted to, they could trade Simmons as well, but that would almost certainly require getting a third team involved. Simmons and Durant's salaries next season are about $80 million combined, which means the Pelicans would need to bundle some combination of CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valenciunas and Devonte' Graham just to make the money work. That's likely not a deal New Orleans would entertain.
The Hawks have a route that involves Bogdan Bogdanovic and John Collins, but it would be a hefty price along with Young out. It's also worth noting that Young has a 15 percent trade kicker in his contract, per Spotrac.
That's why another team would have to get involved in what are already deep trade discussions.
