Basketball
NBA superstar Kevin Durant gives the Brooklyn Nets an ultimatum
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant wants to leave the club. In a meeting with team owner Joe Tsai, he again emphasizes his trade demand. The former league MVP even gave the team an ultimatum.
Kevin Durant wants to leave New York and the Brooklyn Nets.
Kevin Durant is desperate to leave the Brooklyn Nets. Not much has happened since his first trade request in June, though, which seems to have left the superstar quite frustrated. That’s why the twelve-time NBA All-Star now ignited the next level of escalation and offered team owner Joe Tsai for a conversation in London.
During the meeting, Durant reiterated his desire to leave the New York team and even went one step further. He demanded that Tsai have to choose between him and the duo of head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks. Otherwise, Durant sees the direction of the team for the future critically and would like a change of scenery, as “The Athletic” reports.
Durant and Coach Nash
In 2020, Durant himself was still campaigning for the hiring of Steve Nash as the Brooklyn Nets’ head coach. The two worked together during Durant’s time with the Golden State Warriors. Nash was then an advisor to the San Francisco team and played a key role in Durant’s decision to join the Warriors. The relationship between the two now seems to have suffered.
Kyrie Irving speaks on the coaching situation: “I don’t really see us having a “head” coach. KD could be a head coach, I could be a head coach (some days).”
KD adds: “Jacque Vaughn could be a head coach could do it one day. It’s a collaborative effort.”
— Alec Sturm (@Alec_Sturm) October 1, 2020
At the launch of his podcast, Durant discussed the Nets’ coaching situation with Kyrie Irving, who also wants to leave the Nets. Durant brought in the Nets’ current assistant coach as head coach, while Kyrie went a step further and said they didn’t need a real head coach. Both he and Durant are capable of acting as coaches. Demanding that Nash be fired could now be another tactic on the part of Durant to force his departure from the Nets.
Team owner Joe Tsai tweeted: “Our front office and coaching staff have my full support. We will make our decisions in the best sense of the Brooklyn Nets.” Tsai thus positioned himself clearly on the side of his staff and left no room for further speculation about the future of Nash and Marks.
Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.
— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) August 8, 2022
Even before free agency began at the end of June, Kevin Durant had deposited his trade claim with the Brooklyn Nets. According to that NBA-Insider Adrian Wojnarowski Durant named both the Phoenix Suns and the Miami Heat as his dream targets for a transfer. However, the Brooklyn Nets quickly put a stop to Durant’s wishful thinking and pointed out that they would only let their superstar go for an adequate replacement.
In the race to sign the small forward, who is still tied to the Brooklyn Nets until 2026, the Boston Celtics currently seem to have the best cards. The Celtics currently have the highest quality offer in exchange for Durant with a package around all-star Jaylen Brown. In addition to the Boston Celtics, the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors are other promising candidates for a two-time Finals MVP trade. (watson/mom)
