Nets GM Sends Strong Message Over Who is in Charge of the Team

Getty Sean Marks at a press conference.

The Brooklyn Nets have been questioned over who is really in charge of the team since it acquired its two stars, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. For a long time, league circles have speculated on the power that Brooklyn’s two stars have in the organization. Some of this is typical around superstar players. Some has been brought on by the two’s own words. Kyrie birthed some of his in his famous appearance on Durant’s podcast in 2020 when he said the Nets don’t need a head coach. 

For context, the two were talking about the hiring of Steve Nash, and Irving said:

“And I think it’s also going to change the way we see coaches. I don’t really see us having a head coach. You know what I mean? KD could be a head coach. I could be a head coach.”

These aren’t the only statements that suggest that Irving and Durant have a lot of control on what happens in Brooklyn. 

Sean Marks on Nets Player Empowerment

On Wednesday, May 11, Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks and Head Coach Steve Nash spoke with reporters at a press conference. One of the topics was player empowerment and if Durant and Irving have too much power. 

“I think that’s a little bit of a misnomer there where people think player empowerment means you just let them do whatever they want to do. That wasn’t the case when Steve (Nash) was a player. That wasn’t the case when I was a player on any of the teams we’ve been on. That’s not the case here.” Marks Said. 

However, Marks did say that it is important for him to keep them informed of front office decisions. 

“I think involving players on key decisions at particular points in the season is the right way to do it. There’s nothing worse than having players surprised by something. You want to feel they’re part of this. That’s the way we run our organization here. It’s the way I’ve run it since 2016.” Marks continued. “We collaborate. We’re together from top to bottom, from ownership all the way through. I’m going to have everyone’s opinion. I think it’s valuable. It doesn’t always mean we’re going to agree. We’re not. That’s the fun part of this. The same goes for the players. I want them to know they’re part of this. Steve will do the same when he talks to the players about whether a particular play and get their thoughts on defensive schemes. At the end of the day the buck stops here.” 

So Sean Marks likes to involve the players in a “collaborative” type environment, but what about star players like Kevin Durant? If he wants to make a personnel decision, does it get done? 

Kevin Durant as a Nets Shadow GM?

For over a year, people have speculated on if Kevin Durant is secretly pulling some strings for Nets front office decisions. That the superstar is a driving force in some of its major transactions. It’s no secret that KD is a player that teams want to play with, but GM Sean Marks, had a rebuttal on the claim that Durant is not as involved as many consider him. 

“At the end of the day & more often than not, it’s me making those decisions. It’s not me going to Kevin (Durant) saying, ‘Do you want this person? Do you want that person?’ I don’t think that’s fair to place that on Kev. Now, is he surprised by anything? Absolutely not.” Sean Marks said at his May 11 press conference. 

Marks seems to take exception that anyone besides him is in control of the Brooklyn roster and took the occasion to clarify it. He also spoke on some of the teams plans in the upcoming offseason. The Nets roster for the postseason had some obvious holes, some of those clearly from the decision-making of Marks. How does the Nets GM answer those calls to build the best team possible around Kevin Durant? We will see this offseason, but he made one thing clear on May 11, he is the one in charge of these decisions.