Getty (Right)Tony Allen #42 talks with his teammates James Posey #41 and Scot Pollard #66 of the Boston Celtics during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers
Last week, Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets were able to negotiate to have Durant rescind the trade request he made on June 30. Durant, his agent Rich Kleiman, Steve Nash, Sean Marks, and Nets governors Joe and Clara Wu Tsai met and each side was able to negotiate to keep the 12-Time NBA All-Star in Brooklyn for the foreseeable future. The meeting came after a previous meeting that the Nets forward had with Tsai where he reportedly issued the team an ultimatum that they either trade him or let go of team general manager Sean Marks, and head coach Steve Nash.
Tsai immediately and publicly backed his front office and coaching staff in a tweet, and it was clear that the team governor would not fire either of them. That resulted in another meeting with all sides and it was reported that they were able to come to an agreement. On August 23, the Nets general manager released a statement stamped by Durant’s media company The Boardroom stating his intentions to stay in the New York Borough.
“[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.
After a summer of drama, the news wasn’t well-received by all. Current players commented about Durant holding up the entire summer’s free agency waiting on potential trades for the superstar forward. One former player also mentioned his feelings on the Durant drama in Brooklyn.
Scot Pollard on the Kevin Durant Drama in Brooklyn
On the latest episode of The Celtics Collective podcast by Heavy Sports, former NBA star and champion Scot Pollard discussed the latest ongoings in Brooklyn. Pollard had a strong message for what he would do if he was Durant and just signed a 4-year $194 million extension.
“I don’t know. I heard that he said he wanted to fire to the GM and the coach and it’s like you just got a hundred and ninety million or whatever. Just sorry, shut up and dribble, man. I’d be happy when I got my six years. You know. I was like, I will shut up and dribble for all for all six years. You just tell me where to be, I will be there. You tell me where we’re going, I will be there early. I will do everything you asked me to do, because you’re making me a wealthy person. Well, rich, not wealthy,” Pollard said on The Celtics Collective Podcast.
Other Brooklyn Players Returning
Durant isn’t the only notable Nets player that is set to return in Brooklyn after a dramatic summer. Kyrie Irving is also expected to be back in a Nets uniform next season and Ben Simmons and Joe Harris are both supposed to be healthy and playing in Brooklyn in the 2022-23 NBA season.