Kevin Durant asks for trade, lucrative extensions highlight Day 1 of NBA free agency

MANILA, Philippines — Things are already abuzz the momentum the 2022 NBA free agency moratorium began on June 30 (July 1, Manila time), as multiple deals have reportedly been reached among teams and its stars.

Arguably the biggest news on Thursday (Friday in Manila) was Kevin Durant's request for a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news.

Though no deals have been made, teams like the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns have emerged as prime destinations for the two-time NBA champion.

Lucrative deals to extend franchise players' contracts also marked the opening day of negotiations in the NBA offseason, with the likes of Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns signing supermax deals.

Jokic reportedly agreed to a five-year, $264 million extension with the Denver Nuggets, while Towns inked a deal worth $224 million for four years with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Also getting extensions were Devin Booker and Bradley Beal as they remained with the Phoenix Suns and the Washington Wizards, respectively.

The Suns and Booker are reportedly finalizing a four-year, $214 million supermax extension.

Beal, for his part, agreed to a five-year, $251 million deal.

Ja Morant inked a five-year rookie max contract extension as well that reporteldy could be worth up to $231 million.

Also staying put is Lu Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who agreed to a five-year, $87.5 million contract.

While there were stars that stayed put, there were also some movements in Day 1, like PJ Tucker heading to Philadelphia for a three-year deal woth $33.2 million.

Joe Ingles is also leaving the Utah Jazz to join Milwaukee.

Newly crowned NBA champions Juan Toscano-Anderson and Gary Payton II are also leaving the Warriors to sign deals with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trailblazers, respectively.

With the league abuzz already with multiple movements after the moratorium, things are only going to get busier. Charania, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, and Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports get the latest news first on trades and contracts.