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This week we learned that Kevin Durant wants out of Brooklyn, and he wants out bad enough that he is willing to make things messy to help facilitate a deal. In a meeting with Joe Tsai last weekend, Durant issued the Brooklyn Nets owner an ultimatum. The Nets could keep Durant if they choose to fire their general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash. However, reports stated that Durant likely knew that Tsai would be unwilling to part with Marks or Nash and gave the ultimatum to try to lower the team’s historically high asking price.
But issuing an ultimatum might not be the end of Durant making things messy in Brooklyn to help facilitate a deal. In a recent interview, Brian Windhorst noted that one option Durant would have in accelerating a trade could be holding out of training camp.
“If indeed he doesn’t show up to training camp, then they are going to pour gasoline on this. Because now there’s going to be a collective bargaining agreement at the same time, You’re going to have him potentially losing paychecks, they’re going to have to talk about it every day,” Windhorst said. “The water’s not boiling yet, but the water is just getting warmer.”
We Are Headed Towards a Durant Holdout
Before last week no one in the NBA would have believed that Durant would toy with the idea of sitting out of NBA games. An NBA executive told our own Steve Bulpett scoffed at the idea of Durant sitting out, saying,
“I know KD, and he’s not going to sit out or anything like that. He’s not that kind of guy. There’s no way. He’s not going to do anything like that.” the executive said.
However, after this week, some are starting to think Durant’s tune may be changing, and the superstar may be willing to sit out to force his way out of Brooklyn. ESPN’s NBA Insider Brian Windhorst predicts that is where we are headed.
“A week ago, if you had asked me, ‘will Kevin Durant hold out of training camp if he’s not traded?’ I would have been like, ‘I can’t see it.’ Now I can see it. That is what we’re headed towards,” Windhorst said.
Where Could Durant be Dealt?
If Durant continues to try to speed up trade talks to send him away from the Brooklyn Nets, teams will be lining up to deal for the superstar. This week the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Boston Celtics were all named as suitors for Durant.
The Sixers and Heat, as it currently stands, do not seem to have the talent or draft picks required to acquire Durant from the Nets. The Celtics are able to include an All-Star, which has them the closest to a deal. However, the Golden State Warriors have again been linked and could re-enter the Durant sweepstakes. They have an All-Star trade package they can include as well as draft picks for the Nets consideration.
If Durant does hold out of training camp, it could cause the urgency necessary to bring some of those other teams back into trade contention.
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