Kevin Durant‘s standoff with the Nets over his desire to be traded is likely to continue into the start of the season, ESPN’s Bobby Marks said this week in an appearance on “NBA Today” (video link).
Marks theorizes that Durant hurt his cause with an ultimatum in his recent meeting with team owner Joe Tsai, saying he won’t return unless head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks are fired. Bobby Marks notes that the demand was bad for Durant’s image and speculates that he will eventually regret the way he handled it.
“This doesn’t force the issue,” the ESPN analyst said. “For Sean Marks or Steve Nash or Joe Tsai to say, ‘You know what, now we’ve got to trade him. Now we basically have to set an artificial timeline.’ The offers are the offers. We know what the offers are going to be and what they could potentially be, and this is why this is going to linger into the regular season.”
Also on “NBA Today,” ESPN’s Tim Bontemps said Durant’s stipulations will make things more awkward when the Nets gather for training camp next month. He adds that rival teams now have even less incentive to improve their offers because Durant has put Brooklyn in a difficult situation.
There’s more on Durant:
- Appearing in the same segment, Ramona Shelburne said a source told her that a lot more was addressed at last week’s meeting than Durant’s opinion of his coach and GM. The Nets viewed the discussion as “part of the process,” Shelburne adds, as Tsai wanted to better understand what’s making Durant want to leave.
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today talked to three executives from rival teams who want to see the Nets stand their ground with Durant and refuse to either trade him or part with Nash and Marks. Regarding possible trade destinations, three executives and agents that Zillgitt spoke to believe the Celtics are no longer involved in the Durant sweepstakes because president of basketball operations Brad Stevens doesn’t want to subject any more players to trade rumors. The Raptors and Heat were mentioned prominently, but only if Brooklyn agrees to lower its asking price.
- A rival executive tells Steve Bulpett of Heavy that the Celtics will probably remain part of the conversation until the Durant situation is resolved because Jaylen Brown is the best player who has been mentioned as part of a potential return.
You know what is really sad. Hall of Famer Steve Nash never won a ring as a player. If he had stayed another year with the Warriors…Can we finally put to rest all those doofuses that said the Warriors should trade for Durant. Before that is was Bradley Beal.
Dudes legacy was already in limbo. This drama only makes the scrutiny feel more legit.
If it doesn’t happen by camp it won’t till maybe deadline but more like nxt offseason should’ve taken the C’s offer it’s the best they’ll get talent wise but I’m happy they didn’t because the X’s would’ve been stupid
Fire Steve Nash and Sean Marks and let Kevin Durant become the Head coach/GM. Smh
cup.cake.
Kevin O Conner just wondered if LeBron should follow Durants path
Maybe O Conner should check in on HR to see what NBA fans think
All the KD hate from people who don’t remember Kobe asking for a trade….
Once. And I think he was a free agent. Threatened to go to the clippers. Lakers paid him and that was it.
Lakers accepted two different trades offers, one to Chicago and one to Detroit. Deals Kobe ultimately turned down because of the roster he’d be joining
False equivalence. Kobe’s request was to push the Lakers, and he said shortly thereafter on the Dan Patrick show “I don’t want to go anyplace else. I don’t want to,” Bryant said. “I want to be a Laker. I want to be here for the rest of my career.”
Kobe also wasn’t requesting a trade before a 4 year max extension had even started (he was on his 4th year of a 7 year contract).
Also Kobe never requested his coach and GM be fired
Phil Jackson was quoted saying he didn’t want to return to the Lakers if Kobe was going to return, after his incident in Colorado. There are more similarities here than people want to admit. KD is an easy bad guy. At this point if your take is KD is a snake and bad for basketball you’re just lazy
I’ll agree Kobe is generally made more sympathetic post-mortem than he actually was (although dying at 40 in a horrific way with your daughter probably justifies that to at least an extent). And there are some similarities and overlap.
In fact what Durant is doing may just be the logical conclusion to the trend that started around Kobe’s era.
At the same time though KD is elevating it to a degree not yet seen. Requesting both coach AND GM be removed. Asking for a trade prior to an extension even kicking in.
IDK if it’s bad for the game, it probably doesn’t matter tbh. But it is definitely bad for the middle class NBA player, because they’re the ones who stand to lose the most if the next CBA session becomes a war. But the good news is all parties involved are still insanely rich by normal standards
Brooklyn Nets Governor Joe Tsai said, “We know who he is. Kevin Durant will establish his legacy in Brooklyn as one of the greatest ever. On behalf of the Nets organization, my family and our fans, we are excited and humbled to see a lot of Kevin for years to come.”
“Kevin is a transcendent talent who continues to drive and push this franchise and the game of basketball globally,” Nets General Manager Sean Marks said. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with him for years to come. Kevin’s impact both on and off the court cannot be overstated. His unparalleled drive and leadership generate sustained excellence from himself while also elevating the performance of his teammates, positioning this organization to continue the pursuit of our championship goals in Brooklyn.”
August 9 2021 ……. How Time exposes everyone. (In ONE Year)
Every move GMKD has made. Has failed miserably. Yet he holds Nash and Marks responsible. For everything they let him do. Now that sounds like a player I’d want to play with. Like NEVER …..
They should trade him back to OKC.
link to nba.com
Durant doesn’t want a team trading every good player they have for him. He wants to go to a team that can compete.
Smh. He’s already on a good team!
@phillyballers
Well, that’s what (bus rider) betas do.
And the Nets wants actual good players because they don’t own any of their own picks until 2050
IDK – it’s hard to see a deal that makes sense outside of a package centered around Brown
#FreeKD
It definitely sounds like KD wants to coach the Nets. He can be a player/coach and then maybe Kyrie can GM? Once Nash and Marks are fired. What a dreamworld.
Just sit him for the entire season and tell him he will be traded when the team feel the need to trade him.
Marks is basically spot on. The offers are the offers at this point, and until games start being played there aren’t many if any catalysts to make a team alter their bid.
KD is trying to stick it to the Nets. By demanding a trade and pot demanding that the GM and HC be fired for him to stay. He has created a totally “no win” situation for the nets.
By requiring that they fire the GM and HC, makes it difficult for the Nets to trade him for (near) equal value since teams would see him as difficult to manage. Add to the fact that would have to give up a lot of talent to secure his trade. Teams sense that KD is in
The drivers seat, doesn’t like his current situation and by playing an active role in his movement, he is “Limiting” the overall package that a team would send out to the Nets this preventing his new team from giving up a lot of capital for which he and his new team can run with, while simultaneously sticking it to the Nets,
Tell him to report and play, or report to court under civil action. Let him decide what is best for his ‘brand’ and his legacy (and financial statement).
Anytime that wants the poison that I Kevin Durant our fools. The Celtics are not that stupid. New Orleans with Ingram as the center piece is the best move for KD. IMO. They have picks to give too.
Skylark juniper
August 14, 2022
Ben Simmons and curry r 2 b traded to suns for Paul shaker and bridges. The suns also get two 76ers pks. This will make Durant happy cause he wants to play with Paul. Simmons just needs to play 16 mins a game off the bench a show he’s all right for half a season first This holdout talk will be over once the trade is made.
✎
Shamet not shaker