Getty Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant reacts during a playoff bout with the Boston Celtics.
The wait is over. The holding pattern that has taken place in the NBA since Kevin Durant requested to be traded from the Brooklyn Nets is over. On August 23, the Nets general manager Sean Marks released a statement answering what basketball fans everywhere have been waiting for, about what the future holds for Kevin Durant.
“[Coach] Steve Nash and I, together with [governors] Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday,” Marks said in a statement. “We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn,” Marks wrote.
This is the first real moment of clarity since Durant requested a trade at the end of June, besides when Shams Charania of The Athletic shared details from the ongoings of the superstar’s London meeting with Nets governor Joe Tsai where he issued an ultimatum for Tsai to fire Marks and Nash to keep him in Brooklyn. However, now after a meeting with the entire collective, it seems like the tune has changed. The Nets now get what they have wanted for some time, Durant to rescind his trade request.
Kevin Durant Breaks Silence
After Durant agreed to go back and return to Brooklyn, Patrick Beverley seemed to take exception after the summer of drama surrounding him and Kyrie Irving.
“Yal can sit and don’t say nothing but that ain’t cool. It’s dudes with families out here who haven’t got a job because of this KD shit. And to be on and off ain’t cool. Blessing Gang,” Beverley tweeted.
The tweet got a response from KD, who simply tweeted “#BlameKD” in response.
After facing more criticism for not commenting on the trade demand situation, Durant again sounded off in response to a tweet from Jordan Hicks stating that he doesn’t have to explain himself.
Nets Next Season Outlook
Prior to the announcement about Durant, Shams Charania of The Athletic shared the other exciting tidbit that Kyrie Irving has made progress with the Nets organization and is set to return to Brooklyn next season. Now, Durant is set to join him, and the Nets will get the first glimpse of its new big three with Irving, Durant, and Ben Simmons, who they traded for last season. Simmons was also confirmed that he would be ready to go by training camp and is likely to suit up for his first games in a Nets uniform.
With the return of Simmons, Irving, and Durant, the Nets instantly become one of the league’s best teams. Durant and Irving are already two of the NBA’s best players, and they gain the elite defense of Simmons, who can guard 1-5 positions. Simmons is anticipated to start at center for the Nets in a small ball-like lineup that doesn’t sacrifice anything defensively and becomes one of the most versatile offenses in the league as well.
Durant and Irving will each likely benefit from the slashing ability of Simmons, which helps draw defenders and set up open shots. Seth Curry, Royce O’Neale, TJ Warren, and Joe Harris will all likely benefit from this as well. Brooklyn running it back gives them depth they didn’t have last season. It was reported that they could look at adding another big guy, and if they do will have a pretty well-rounded team that can compete with the entire NBA barring injury or the continued cloud of drama that has surrounded their time in Brooklyn so far.