The situation around Kevin Durant doesn’t seem to be moving. And for good reason, the price asked by the Brooklyn Nets is, quite logically, very high, not to say dissuasive. We have already mentioned the fact that the KD file was partly blocking the rest of the market, as the teams are afraid of missing out on the opportunity to recruit him if the position of the Nets were to change. The Brooklyn front office is, for its part, managing the situation quite calmly. Instead of panicking and accepting the first offers to settle the KD/Kyrie era, Sean Marks takes his time and even has a tactic that seems more and more obvious.
As confirmed by the New York Post, the General Manager of the franchise probably has no real intention of parting with Kevin Durant. In order not to clash with the star, he accepted his request to be traded, or at least to explore the market to allow him to leave. In reality, Marks would be determined to keep it and be adamant in making it clear to the two-time Finals MVP that it is in his interest to stay in Brooklyn since no one can offer a strong enough counterpart. There are two and a half months left before the start of the season and there is no rush on this front.
Maybe Kevin Durant can, by then, revise his plans or consider that the team built around him, in particular with Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving if this one has not been traded either, is quite competitive. to play the title.
A lockout in the summer of 2023?
On the side of the owners of the league, the Kevin Durant case is a lot to think about. The players, like the owners, can decide at the end of next season to disengage from the current CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) and move towards a lockout if their positions are too far apart. According to the Post, the owners are very keen to regain some control over certain aspects of a league that we know is increasingly held by the players and their desire to control their destiny.
It’s unclear what exactly their demands will be on this, but recent seasons have seen several stars like James Harden, Ben Simmons or KD claim trades while still enjoying a long and successful contract. It is likely that the NBA board wants to avoid these situations and ensure that players cannot stop playing or put such pressure on them that a trade becomes unavoidable. We will have to follow this very closely once the 2022-2023 NBA season is over.
Kevin Durant’s future completely freezes the rest of the market
