Kendrick Perkins: Kevin Durant is not as powerful as he thinks he is



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Kendrick Perkins: Kevin Durant is not as powerful as he thinks he is

ESPN's NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins says Kevin Durant is "not as powerful as he thinks he is" after he rescinded his trade request and agreed to continue playing for the Brooklyn Nets. Perkins is a former teammate of Durant as the two played together during their days with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"KD don't have the power, KD don't have the juice. He tried to request a trade, nothing happened. He tried to get Steve Nash and Sean Marks fired, nothing happened. But this is just the example that KD is not as powerful as he thinks he is," Perkins said on ESPN's SportsCenter.

On June 30, Durant requested a trade from the Nets.

As the Nets weren't really showing much desire to trade Durant, he met with Nets owner Joe Tsai 20 days ago. During the meeting, Durant told Tsai he wanted head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks fired. The Nets refused to trade Durant or to accomodate his request.

This Tuesday, the Nets announced they and Durant agreed to continue to move forward with their partnership.

The Nets and Durant not parting ways

"Steve Nash and I, together with Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday.

We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in our mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn," Nets GM Marks said in a statement released by the Nets.

Last week, Perkins' colleague from ESPN, Stephen A. Smith, said there was no way the Nets should even think about letting Durant go. “Hell no [Durant’s trade demands are not justified],” Smith started his rant on ESPN’s First Take.

“And I love me some KD. I know people get on him about being sensitive and him clapping back to the media. Hell, he’s clapped back at me on several occasions publicly and privately. I love the brother. I think he’s the best player in the world when healthy.

These trade demands are not even close to being justified. Hell with that. If it’s me I’m Joe Tsai for the Brooklyn Nets, you ain’t going no damn place Kevin. There is no way in hell I’m letting Kevin Durant leave this year." With Durant staying, the Nets still have one of the best teams in the NBA on paper.

Previously, Kyrie Irving opted into the final year of his contract, while Ben Simmons is expected to be healthy and ready to play next season.

Kevin Durant