While his desire to leave the Brooklyn Nets is no secret, Kevin Durant would have made it clear to his leaders that if they want to keep him, they will have to part with their coach Steve Nash.
The divorce is not yet fully consummated between Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets. After three seasons with the New York franchise, the 33-year-old winger has made it known he wants to leave, stirring up the NBA transfer market. The deal could finally change but on one condition. According to information from the journalist of The Athletic Shams Charania, “KD” recently met with Nets owner Joe Tsai in London and handed him what very clearly sounds like an ultimatum.
Indeed, the native of Washington is ready to backtrack on his desire to leave… if it is his trainer Steve Nash who packs his bags as soon as possible. While the Brooklyn franchise was swept away in the first round of the play-offs by the Boston Celtics, Kevin Durant seems convinced that a major change is needed to restart the machine, with a new coach on the bench.
Sources: Kevin Durant informed Joe Tsai that he does not have faith in the Nets‘ direction. The meeting was described as transparent and professional, with a clear message: Keep me — or the GM and coach. https://t.co/W1voNf9MDC https://t.co/0lbBay2OxF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 8, 2022
Durant in the sights of several franchises
While Kevin Durant extended his contract last year for four additional years, valued at 198 million dollars (194 million euros), the player is not convinced that his team is going in the right direction and is considering a departure very seriously. And this despite the arrival of players such as TJ Warren, Patty Mills or Nic Claxon while Ben Simmons and Joe Harris could soon resume competition.
However, Kevin Durant’s intentions remaining unclear, several franchises have reportedly expressed interest in “KD” for an exchange. The Boston Celtics, whose coach Ime Udoka is close to Kevin Durant, the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat would be in the running but the requirements of Joe Tsai could make such an operation very complicated to carry out. What is certain is that the pre-season of the Brooklyn Nets already promises to be lively and not necessarily in a good way.
