Getty/Harry How Kevin Durant (right), when he was a member of the Golden State Warriors.
Despite Kevin Durant requesting a trade from the Brooklyn Nets on June 30, he is still on the roster as the season transitions out of the offseason and inches toward training camp. As trade talks have hit a standstill, Durant met with Nets owner Joe Tsai to offer him a strong ultimatum regarding his future with the franchise. Either general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash goes, or he wants a trade per Shams Charania of “The Athletic”.
“In a face-to-face meeting with Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai over the weekend, All-NBA star Kevin Durant reiterated his trade request and informed Tsai that he needs to choose between Durant or the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash, sources tell The Athletic. Durant stated he does not have faith in the team’s direction, sources said,” Charania writes.
Shortly after that report was released, Tsai affirmed his support of the Nets’ leadership and vowed to do what was best for the franchise. Still, no trade has materialized. Former Warriors big man and 2015 NBA champion Andrew Bogut believes that the answer to Durant executing a trade out of Brooklyn is as simple as the stroke of a keyboard.
“An easy way for KD to get out of [Joe Tsai’s Brooklyn Nets] that no NBA analyst is discussing. A simple tweet: “Free Hong Kong, Free Taiwan”. Gone the next day,” Bogut tweeted on August 14.
The ex-Warriors big man seems to be taking a shot at Tsai’s financial connections to China as co-founder of multi-billion-dollar e-commerce company Alibaba. In 2019, Sixers general manager Daryl Morey who was general manager of the Rockets at the time, came under heavy fire after he sent a tweet in support of Hong Kong which ultimately led to his exit.
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Durant, Celtics Trade Talks Are Not Recent, Says Exec
In July, Shams Charania of “The Athletic” revealed that the Boston Celtics had emerged as a suitor for Durant after offering the Nets a trade package centered around All-Star Jaylen Brown that also included guard Derrick White and a draft pick. But despite the recency of Charania’s report, one executive told Heavy’s Sean Deveney that the trade talks between the Nets and Celtics are old news.
“This is something that, you know, these talks are old. When the Durant stuff first hit, everyone called the Nets, of course, you have to. The Celtics had their conversation and they moved on,” the executive said.
“So, for it to come back and come out now, it tells you that the Nets are frustrated that they’re not getting the offers they want for Durant, and they want to jumpstart the process. I’m sure if you’re the Celtics, you’re saying, ‘Why us?’ The Nets could have leaked any number of talks they had. But for the Nets, they’re trying to tell everyone, ‘Hey, Jaylen Brown and picks, that’s the floor.’”
Kendrick Perkins Calls Out Steve Nash
In his first two seasons as head coach of the Nets, Steve Nash has failed to get a team led by two future Hall of Famers past the second round. Outside factors such as trades, injuries, and vaccination statuses have played a part, but the fact remains that the opportunity to win has been there for the Nets, and they just have not been able to get it done with Nash. Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins doesn’t believe that Nash is the right coach for Brooklyn.
“When I look at the way the Brooklyn Nets play, they have zero respect for Steve Nash, meaning, staying disciplined in their principles. Getting back in transition. To me, Steve Nash…. Listen, he’s a great individual. Great person. But at the end of the day, this is a business, and he is not the right person for this job,” Perkins said on ESPN’s “NBA Today” in April following the Nets elimination.
“You need someone in that seat that those players – especially Kyrie Irving because he’s not going anywhere – is going to respect and listen to. Steve Nash did not show me anything in this series. I didn’t expect him to win it, I didn’t expect any of that. But not to win one game? One game?! That’s harsh.”
As the NBA offseason progresses toward the opening of training camp, it will be interesting to see the results of the drama between Durant and the Nets.
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