Nets owner Joe Tsai went on social media Monday night to declare his support for the team’s front office and coaching staff, apparently closing the door on the possibility of Kevin Durant wearing a Brooklyn uniform again.
On his Twitter account, Tsai stated “Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.”
Tsai met with the disgruntled superstar forward in London on Saturday. Earlier on Monday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Durant reiterated his trade request at that meeting, declaring he would only withdraw it if Tsai fired general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash. Durant, who is entering the first year of a four-year max extension, told Tsai that he doesn’t have faith in the team’s direction.
It would have been stunning for an owner to bend to his superstar’s wishes and fire the GM and coach, then essentially let the player pick the replacements. So Tsai’s decision to publicly back Marks and Nash isn’t surprising.
The franchise’s approach to Durant’s trade request remains to be seen. There’s speculation that Durant made the ultimatum to put pressure on the front office to lower its trade demands. It’s also uncertain whether Durant will show up if he’s still on the roster during training camp.
KD is so soft, he picked Nash to be the HC. Also if the news is correct about Simmons(why would anybody be surprised) he has no heart
If he picked Nash why can’t he not pick him?
I’m, he signed the contract extension a year ago knowing who his coach was(Nash, the guy he picked). One year later he wants him out
So because a year ago he signed a contract he’s unable to divorce Nash as a coach even though as you say he picked Nash to be the coach? Coaches don’t get fired after losing the faith of the star players?
Because picking Nash and then not picking him would be the same as picking your nose and then putting the booger back. Is that something you do?
I was thinking it was like picking a wife and then getting a divorce when it doesn’t work out. Sorry not trolling just trying to understand y’all logic.
Who the hell does this guy think he is? That’s my lst question. The best punishment for KD is to trade him to the Knicks for 4 lst rounders and Julius Randle. Why is this a good punishment? It’s the last place he would want to be. He never wanted to ever play for the Knicks.
Yes
Trade Durant and Irving, turn down any bad offer
Nets can easily make playoffs
Make good trades on every player they have
lol
Jalen Brown it is…..
Boston isn’t trading Brown.
Why would the Nets take bad offer from Suns and Heat?
Hell no
Say no to Bam and Herro
Say no to Bridges and Cam Johnson
Handsome offer is required
The Spurs are the best team for Durant, Nets should sign DeMarcus Cousins and start him at C.
Are you Jeff Schwartz?
Man these players are gonna hurt the superstars who come after them in the CBA talks, KD hand picked Nash and now demands he gets fired, sh!ts laughable, I never side with the team but these guys are being ridiculous, this is not pretty little liars KD, you are grown
What team wants an injury prone 34 year old with an attitude who can leave anytime he wants? Why ruin your teams future for that? Durant hasn’t won anything without Steph
lmaooo
Literally EVERY team would take Durant on their team if they could.
Haha, what? Right now, EVERY team has the opportunity to take him, yet, there are no takers. What you talking about?
Because no team is willing to pay the Nets asking price nor should they!
What asking price do you think KD is worth in a trade?
I hope KD and Kyrie never see the NBA court again. Trash people that can cry themselves to sleep. Great stand up by Nets ownership!
I hope to see them again only so they can be booed at every turn.
Would the Nets have been better off developing their players and having Atkinson coach them than the KD/Kyrie experiment?
Probably but they’d still be hated on for not having a ring
This 2nd place is the first loser mentality was spawned by the fans so I’m somewhat sympathetic with the Nets fall out they are gonna get for a long long time
They went for it, it didn’t work, the fallout will haunt them for years
Ask yourself this, If you had a ton of money would you pass on a chance at Durant Irving and whoever they brought w them? It’s a tough question
No — if you simulated this 100 times this has be the 99th or 100th worst outcome of getting Durant Kyrie and James Harden on the same team
I just wonder if they could have gotten themselves into a Cavs situation where it looks pretty good with that assortment of homegrown talent and a couple good trades and signings.
No they arent a contender yet, but they could be depending on the growth if their squad.
KD…INCOMING!
As I said bye bye KD and hopefully they take the Celtics up on a deal centred on Jaylen Brown.
Then you have to look at getting rid of Kyrie.
Sean Marks is a terrific GM, Nash is unproven as a coach this year he’ll be under the microscope but it’s the correct decision by the owner
That Jaylen Brown offer is dead, if it ever really existed.
We will see
KD is the best sidekick in basketball and he’s definitely not a leader that you can build around
This is largely how I see it. If I were a GM, I’d sign him to play the “Robin” role without a second thought. He has talent. If I’m looking for Batman for my team though, that’d be a pass for me.
1000% wouldn’t win with Russ and Harden in OKC. Went to GSW and won back to back titles but they already went n without him and he wasn’t the main guy on that team. Then now he’s gone to the Nets and again had 2 superstars Kyrie and Harden and failed again.
He’s phenomenal but he’s not a 1 similarly like Russ he’s a beast but he doesn’t play winning basketball
@Simmons
KD wasn’t the main guy in GSW? He was their best offensive player and three finals mvp twice. He wasn’t a galvanizing leader but he was their best overall player and not even much of a debate.
Yeah he was their best player and main scoring option but he wasn’t the leader and they would’ve done fine without him. He wasn’t the main guy cause he came in and fitted into the system but Draymond still ran the plays and Curry and Klay created the space. Curry was the main guy cause without him they’d struggle a lot. He didn’t need to lead scoring or assists to be the main guy.
Look at Wiggins he almost got finals MVP this year cause he was playing great but he’s definitely not their main guy.
Lol, obviously Steph was GSW’s leader AND best overall player.
Saying Wiggins “almost got finals MVP this year” just proves you don’t know basketball.
I know Durant is one of the best players in the game, but he is becoming a big baby that I wouldn’t want on my team. He and Irving deserve each other, and Simmons is a bonus. Any team that trades for him deserves the drama that goes with it.
Tsai is making this decision to defend his own ego. He can’t let it look like he was pushed around by a player. This isn’t for what is best for the Brooklyn Nets but what makes him feel the best about himself.
I’m sure he’s feeling quite happy with himself and his billions LOL
@Styles
He’s absolutely doing the best thing for the Nets. Give a guy too much rope and they’ll want to be cowboy. Take a stand here just to establish respect and culture. If they gave in to KD’s demand then how would ANY player on that team respect the next coach, GM or Tsai? And you have to wonder how the other players would feel towards KD and Kyrie, the entitled and oft injured stars? I would be turned off if I bust my butt and these guys were dictating things and getting sweaty 3 with selfish behavior. Them being top stars and earning tens of millions is already fuel for jealousy and animosity already. One of the greatest attributes about the San Antonio Spurs and Duncan was that Duncan allowed Pop to coach him tough and be accountable just like any other player. I’m a fan of Kyrie and know KD is an amazing player who didn’t deserve the heat he received for leaving the GSW but this bull is distasteful and can really hurt the game.
100% agree — which is why this leak is so miscalculated if it came from KD’s camp.
There was NO WAY Tsai could have capitulated once this became public.
But even if it didn’t leak, Tsai has dealt with the CCP enough that I doubt he gets bullied from many people.
@butthole
Leak or no leak you don’t think anyone with a brain wouldn’t read the tea leaves and deduce that a sudden firing of their coach, GM and the reversal of KD deciding to stay weren’t a correlation? It would’ve been an obvious capitulation by ownership for their star player.
Wouldn’t have had to be that obvious — they could have ostensibly convinced Marks to “step down” before the season for “personal reasons” then assure KD that they’d let go Nash by midseason or vice versa
Basically plausible deniability could have been maintained
i would hate to be one of the 10 nets fans in the world goddayum
Net fan since 1974. How many people were friends from New Jersey, New Jersey does actually have a lot of people who grew. Up in it and a lot of them live in Brooklyn now. There are many of us, if you had gone to Barclays this year he would’ve been two or three games for the fan or the difference maker.
Jaylen isn’t going anywhere
If Boston is smart, he won’t. KD might make them slightly better next season, but he doesn’t push them past GS. And if you can’t win a title in the next season or two, it’d be a deal that Boston would regret
The reason they might and I say might deal brown if it doesn’t cost much more is brown is definitely testing free agency in two years ! He can’t and won’t extend before then Bc he would be leaving to much money ! There’s a scenario Boston disappoints and brown request a trade with just one year left on his deal wanting to be the man of his own team !
I still lean towards them keeping brown but it’s not as simple as like a two year window give or take or a near decade with Tatum and brown
Are you serious right now? KD absolutely would’ve pushed them passed GS last year.
Brown averaged 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 6 games in the NBA Finals last season. I just don’t see KD playing significantly better than that.
KD changes the entire defense of a team. I don’t think you can just compare those 3 numbers. Maybe I’m wrong , we will never know. Think about how might’ve Impacted Tatum. Instead of the warriors focusing their defense on Tatum it would’ve been Durant
Absurd. GSW’s defense would have stopped him just like the Celtics’ D did.
Did KD make these demands in person or did he use his burner account? If you lay down with dogs you wake up with fleas. Enjoy Net fans!
Nash will be gone after this year anyway – anyone could see he was in over his head during the playoffs. He needs a team like Charlotte or Orlando.
Kiwi does a good job as GM. He’ll figure it all out.
I have to wonder which side leaked KD’s demands. Going public with them lowers the Nets asking price and KD’s reputation.
Commented the same in the initial thread — Shams is almost always carrying the players’ POV so it seems like the leak was probably Durant’s side not Tsai
Although I think it ultimately helps Tsai more than Durant. The less sympathetic a character KD becomes the easier it is for Brooklyn to play hardball into the season
@butthole
But it DOES help KD in his quest to be traded. I don’t think he actually expects Tsai to fire both the coach and GM. It would absolutely make Tsai look weak like he gave into KD’s demands. It hurts the possible return but it makes the thought of a super toxic environment of Durant/Kyrie/Nash untenable. How can a coach work so closely with two of three teams best players wanting you to be fired? Every loss, every bad call would lead to more scrutiny as to Nash’s head coaching ability. No bueno.
I agree only in the sense that it burns the bridge back to Brooklyn (no pun intended)
But what it also does is:
A) Entrenches Tsai, Marks, et al to say, “Screw this dude. We’re not taking a dime less than what we think his market value is.” Whereas before maybe there was some modicum of goodwill to eventually “get a deal done.”
B) It sends a bit of an icky message to potential trade partners, no?
I mean, who’s making the decision to trade for KD—opposing team GMs. So do I feel BETTER right now trading a king’s ransom for a player who, great as he is, just requested that his owner fire the equivalent of myself in a gun to your head type way?
Especially after the FO already bent over backwards for KD for the past 36 months
TL;DR – Yes it makes KD actually PLAYING in Brooklyn untenable but it makes a Simmons like scenario way more likely.
@ surfer69
Well said. Clearly you get it.
Shams with players POV???? It only seems that way because he gets ALL of his scoop from 2 NBA agents. They give him the news on the players they represent before anyone else. Woj gets his info primarily from every NBA front office as soon as a deal is done in addition to agents.
Damn! Durant deciding his trade value is way too high is somehow only a little bit surprising.
If I was Tsai I’d be very tempted to allow him to start his retirement early.
Durant’s never going to achieve anything else in the NBA so why not give up on your career like you give up on every team you’ve played for?
Just ship this fool to Houston or Detroit. Let him finish out his career on a losing team.
Make KD play with Nash as HC. And I’d love to KD sit and have the Nets sue for breach of contract. Or fraud if he tries to say he’s sitting medically after his assertations to sit if he doesn’t get his way
They don’t sue for breach of contract . He just doesn’t get paid.
Keeping Marks I understand, and agree with. Nash should have been fired a long time ago
Still think Kevin Durant wont sit out. I just dont see that as a possibility at all
I do think there are currently fair 2 team trades on the table. I dont think the Nets need to take those offers though
Why keep Sean Marks??? He made the horrific Steve Nash hiring.
Sean Marks and Steve Nash have ZERO chance of being successful without Kevin Durant. ZERO!
The owner made the Steve Nash hiring b/c of his relationship with Kyrie Irving. I dont see that as a Marks move. As I said in the previous thread, I dis question the Jarrett Allen trade, but he has brought in good options in summer league/undrafted guys. Not his fault Steve Nash never used anyone correctly. The first year I never thought they had any chance for a single second, even though Kevin Durant almost single handedly did it for them, but last year, their roster was very deep and versatile, but Nash decided to once again not use Bruce Brown, and played 4 small guards at once in lineups that made no sense, and continued to leave KD on an island by himself defensively
Funny thing is this type of behavior on KD’s part — while maybe intended to “force hand” — HAS to be lowering his trade value simultaneously
The list of teams willing or wanting to give up major assets to deal with this level of chicanery has to be shrinking, because even as great as KD is, much like LeBron, at his age he’s not making you a contender in one swoop anymore.
@butthole
But when have you ever seen a “bad” team go after a player like a LBJ/KD knowing their team would be a contender sanz a big 2 or at least a 3? And honestly, if AD were healthy last year then I think they absolutely would’ve been a serious contender. Any team that acquires a LBJ or KD has to think very highly of their ability to win with him and their other pieces left AND have to feel confident that KD will want to be happy in that city. He has no ability to block a trade but a team like Kings, Thunder, e.t.c have to know KD likely wouldn’t want to stay there in the next 4 years so why trade their young assets to bring in all that drama albeit from a top 5 player?
Knicks fans should be ecstatic about all of this. Forget all about the Donovan Mitchell nonsense. Sean Marks is a bad enough General Manager that under this pressure he just might be willing to swap Julius Randle, R.J. Barrett and that stockpile of draft picks for KD.
I think we’re agreeing on this one just phrasing differently
To take the LA example—I actually agree again. But 4-5 years ago even if AD is hurt LeBron wills that roster to a 6 seed to at least get AD back on the floor to make a playoff run
Both LBJ/KD are still top 5-7 players when healthy; they’re just no longer the best 2 players in the league no questions asked, IMO.
Brad Stevens, Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams for K.D. on 3.
1 2…
A Jaylen Brown trade isn’t happening.
Big mistake Mr Tsai!!!
Proving why KD wants out, this franchise is such a big mess that even KD can’t fix it!
Tsai must be fired along Marks & Nash!
#FreeKD
Welcome to the Sixers
Joe Tsai needs to sell the team. It’s over for this guy and this franchise. Without KD ….. This franchise is in worse shape than Utah. It is now officially a wrap in Brooklyn!
Steve Nash is the worst coach in the NBA!
Sean Marks didn’t “bring” KD and Kyrie to Brooklyn. KD and Kyrie “chose” Brooklyn. Marks had nothing to do with it.
Franchise is trash without KD.
It’s true Kyrie and KD “chose” Brooklyn, which means they’ve created this. And how’s it working out? It doesn’t appear to be going too well.
If KD gets credit for creating this, he deserves the blame for it’s failure. Rather than try to fix it, he wants out though.
Where you just may be correct is the franchise will be trash for awhile without KD, but that’s because of today’s news. The leaking of this demand craters KD’s value. Brooklyn will be lucky now to get a bunch of picks and a few not terrible players for salary matching.
KD has no concern whatsoever about what Brooklyn gets back in return for him. Yes, they will now get a garbage return. They earned it! Kevin Durant IS the franchise right now. No KD = No Shot at a Title!
Joe Tsai made this mess NOT KD and Kyrie. He has a simple way out of ALL of this. FIRE Sean Marks and Steve Nash. Nash should have been fired as soon as the buzzer sounded after losing the Boston series.
If no KD …. We all know that Sean Marks and Steve Nash get fired anyway for incompetence. Fire BOTH of these clowns now! No Shot at Winning Without KD.
Cry more.
Offer KD a $10 mill buyout and say bye bye. Opens up a lot of cap space and then we can see who really wants KD.
He has not played a game yet for a buyout to occur. In a clean line Tsai could try to revoke the contract out right. Until Kevin’s first payment is due there is a window.
If he refuses to report to camp he could fire him for conduct determintal to the team and take his chances with arbitration if Kevin balks.
He could also lock him out.
Tsai is holding all the cards.
If he is really committed to Mark’s and Nash recending his contract is his best option.
Why would they do even a $1 buyout? It would essentially vitiate the contract making him a UFA. If and when he’s in breach of his contract (may already be), send him home. He can arbitrate for 4 years which is higher his salary or the fines. After 4 years, he can sign elsewhere.