The trade ultimatum that Kevin Durant delivered to Nets owner Joe Tsai over the weekend only makes it more difficult for Durant to get what he wants, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Durant reportedly told Tsai that he would only consider returning to the team if head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks are both fired, and Tsai responded Monday with a Twitter statement supporting the coaching staff and front office.
Now that Durant’s ultimatum has become public, the Nets have even less leverage in trying to work out a deal in a market where they’ve already been unable to find an offer anywhere near their asking price. Durant may have hoped the meeting with Tsai would liven up the trade market, but Botte believes it might have done the opposite.
Durant’s unhappiness with Nash and Marks is ironic considering the efforts that the organization has made to accommodate him since he signed in 2019, adds Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. Before coming to Brooklyn, Nash worked closely with Durant as a consultant with the Warriors, and Durant reportedly used his influence to get Nash hired when the team parted ways with Kenny Atkinson in 2020.
Schiffer points out that much of Brooklyn’s coaching staff consisted of assistants who had also had ties to Durant, including Royal Ivey, Brian Keefe, David Vanterpool and Adam Harrington. And while Durant may be unhappy with Marks for not being willing to offer a new contract to Kyrie Irving, Schiffer notes that many of the team’s significant roster moves were heavily endorsed by Durant, including the additions of James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge and Mike James.
There’s more on the Durant situation:
- Durant’s unhappiness with the Nets can be traced back to Marks’ statement in May that the front office needs to regain control of the franchise, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps said today in an appearance on “Get Up” (video link). He adds that if Tsai had even considered getting rid of Nash and Marks, he would be letting the players run the team again.
- In another “Get Up” segment, Bontemps states that nothing about the trade market has changed in the wake of Durant’s ultimatum (Twitter link). Teams still aren’t willing to give the Nets the type of trade package that they’re seeking, so Bontemps expects Durant to remain with Brooklyn into the start of training camp and possibly into the beginning of the regular season.
- The chaos surrounding the Nets shows the danger of chasing stars instead of going through the natural rebuilding process, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, who adds that there’s little sympathy for Brooklyn around the league.
The ultimatum only means Durant wants to be traded. He doesn’t expect the Nets to fire Marks AND Nash. Totally unrealistic request it just emphasizes his desire to get out of there.
He may well have said, “unless you sell the team, I want to be traded.” Durant knows it’s not going to happen it’s just reiterating the request to be dealt out of town.
While true, it’s certainly decreased his already anemic market value even further.
Yeah, not sure how Durant thought those demands would help him out? Really it shows how immature he still is. Durant, much like LeBron’s attempts at being the GM of his team haven’t really worked out for the most part.
The most obvious way it helps Durant out is it lowers his trade value so Sean Marks can back off of his demands of “I want your best player and all your picks for years to come.”
On to LeBron. You can’t count the Heat years as Riley was definitely running the show, however his second stint in Cleveland brought the Cavs a championship and four finals appearances. As far as the Lakers? Well there’s been 4 championship teams during his time there and the Lakers have won one of them. So all in all he’s brought 2 championships and five finals appearances to his teams in the last 8 seasons. If he truly is the GM then only Bob Myers has been more successful in that time span.
Durant lowering his own trade value isn’t going to facilitate a trade. It’s going to lower the opportunity cost for Brooklyn not to make a deal.
Difference is lebron get stuff done and won a few rings . Only thing kd done was run to a already good team and got a ring.
Trade durant to sacramento.
Duran and Lebron told us how President Trump wasn’t running the country properly. Uh-huh. This after spending years telling us how the coaches on the teams they played on weren’t running those teams properly. They then graduated to the GM’s and owner(s)…..uh, sorry….Governors. Unfortunately, the Lakers owner….whoops…Governor nicely explained to Lebron and his high school buddy / agent that it wasn’t his team and if he wanted, he was free to leave. Now Durant has done the same thing, and the owner just backed his GM.
The NBA has a chance again to be a legitimate league when these types of players – that dictate where they play, with who and for whom, and then always have excuses when their teams go in the dumper – retire. It got old long ago.
I’d guess that at least 90% of NBA team owners and GM’s don’t want those guys on their roster even if they get them for nothing. Let them follow Michael Jordan – take one of their billions and buy an NBA franchise. The other owners will happily approve. Look at Jordan’s record as both a coach and and owner.
@ Samuel Huh?
This man is soft.
Not a man!
What is a man?
A miserable little pile of secrets!
problem is how many teams want to take a chance he is not happy with their team. This is the same guy who wasn’t happy at Golden State which every player that played for them praises the team as a player’s team.
So why trade a big package of players for him if he is just going to say next year he wants to leave?
That’s just it. He has the right to ask to leave, but why would the Celtics, for example, give up players under team control and draft picks for a guy who might do the same thing to them?
With all those trade rumors, I don’t think jaylen will return to celtics.
Brown is already offered but the nets decline.
there is no proof of this offer. That is KDs camp using Sham.
Stevens denies the offer
It’s pretty obvious that he left the Warriors because of how being on that team got him constantly disrespected. He would like to prove he can win on his own, but mostly he was sick of being called a snake.
Yes he wanted to win on his own but now he made himself look even more snake like with demanding a trade. So who wants to take a chance he is not happy at his next stop?
KD will love boston or toronto, For Sure.
This and also — if you’re a GM of another team it’s kind of hard NOT to feel some type of way about a player basically asking for his own GM’s head.
There’s a history of that on the coaching side for sure. But the GM Killer has never been a thing.
You “win championship” and your entitlement is off the charts, what has Durant done outside of the warriors run he didn’t win much just scored ALOT now we wanna fire people you wanted hired originally
If brooklyn just accepted the deal, They will have kyrie, jaylen, simmons and some picks.
This is durant a 34 years old guy traded for jaylen who is in his 20’s.
Apparently that deal was never really offered and the reporter that posted it kind of backtracked his statement. That being said, if Boston offered Brown, white and two unprotected firsts, I agree they should take it.
It is true because it’s all over the internet and famous twitter guys posted it online.
Jesus are you Sillivans brother or something?
I am no longer a KD fan. This is next level diva s#!+
Let him sit, without pay, for the remainder of his contract. Alternatively, he can pay damages to the Nets for the mess he has caused by violating it, and then be released. He should at least have to pay back the yesr’s pay he got while injured and sitting on his butt.
What a pathetic ingrate. This has gone too far, the players need to appreciate that a contract is a contract, do not sign if you do not intend to honor it.
Ask Blake Griffin about honoring a contract and things being promised before situations change.
Who cares about blake griffin?
Have you ever heard of the phrase, “Put it in writing”?
Contracts are legally agreed upon between two parties, with specific parameters outlined.
In the NBA’s case, the players are actually one of the few groups of workers in the US that get to agree to their contracts TWICE: once in general through their union via collective bargaining, and then again individually when they sign with teams.
People act as if trading a player making millions of dollars a year to another part of the same business association – that their union collectively bargains with no less – is some kind of grave injustice.
Should we do a million man march for the Goldman investment bankers who got transferred to Hong Kong but really wanted to be in London instead too?
Not really the same. That disgruntled investment banker can say “nah dog, I’m out.’ and get a similar position with comparable benefits at J.P. Morgan or Lazard.
Nah it actually kind of is — you can go to Europe and make millions as a mediocre NBA talent.
Marbury made his whole nut in China and he was washed by the time he left the US
The difference in pay between the the NBA and Europe or China is astronomical if you’re a player of Durant’s caliber.
What a clown Dumrant Softie is. . Also the Nets could of capitalized on his trade during the first week and gotten multiple picks and some decent players, had to be greedy and it has bitten them. They gave up NOTHING to get him. Not sure if I was a a team I would want him now.
Like I have been saying, Nets got to trade him to the worst situation possible. Just to prove a point. Trade him for Brittany griner
Simmons and Durant on the same team….kkkk….
KD puts up 30 and is unstoppable but nobody wants him. Laughable in my opinion.
Swept in the 1st rd = stoppable.
Durant has went from Headline to best nba punchline
I think he’s getting dangerously close to being untradeable
And by the end of the week he could be your starting PF
I hope not taco lol
Ehhh, as long as they didn’t give Bam or Buckets you’d be all for it.
Thinking back to that 3 pointer Jimmy shot that would have beat the Celtics…
Yah I’d rather have KD take that shot. He’s obviously a much better 3pt shooter
Have no clue how a trade for him could work in reality without involving Kyle
He’d have to buy in to Pat and Spos program too…
I’d be shocked if it happened
I think I remember a quote by Irving about him and Durant being the real coaches which is telling enough.
Once these guys are out it’s whoever replaces them or tells them to do something they don’t want to do. They want full autonomy of the team.
“I don’t really see us having a head coach,” Irving said when appearing on Kevin Durant’s new podcast The ETCs. “You know what I mean? KD could be a head coach. I could be a head coach.”
So where are ALL the Knicks couldn’t sign KD or Kyrie geniuses NOW …….
This is how freaking gullible and dumb the media are. Just to chase and promote a story. You let the children run the house. This is what you get ……….
Should of took Ayton and company. I would of rebuilt Nets by now with a Ayton trade.
#FreeKD
I don’t know why Portland doesn’t go all in. I understand they are rebuilding and are waiting for Dame to ask for a trade. Unless he is busted, I would trade A Simons 23m, J Nurkic 16m, S Sharpe 6m and all the picks they can afford for K Durant 46m, D Sharpe 2m. Then trade D Sharpe 2m and D Louzada 2m and some of the exception for the well traveled N Noel. Then convert B Williams to a standard contract, then ask L Aldridge to come back. The lineup will be able to switch positions. PG. D Lillard,G Payton,B Williams. SG. J Hart,N Little,K Johnson. SF. J Grant,J Winslow,T Watford. PF. K Durant,G Brown lll,J Walker. C. N Noel,L Aldridge,D Eubanks. Durant and grant switching depending on the matchup. Then sign my two ways to a young C and a young SF