Google News Kevin Durant prefers retiring over suiting up for Nets again?
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NBA insider Marc Stein wrote in his Substack newsletter that "one of the most well-connected team executives" told him Kevin Durant was more likely to end his career than suit up for the Brooklyn Nets again. On June 30, Durant requested a trade from the Nets.
A month and a half later, the Nets haven't even come close to trading Durant. Also, it doesn't appear that the Nets are really trying hard to trade Durant. “During summer league in Las Vegas, one of the most well-connected team executives I speak to regularly insisted to me that, based on what he was hearing, Kevin Durant was more apt to retire than play again for the Brooklyn Nets.
This was in early July," Stein wrote.
Durant's meeting with Nets owner didn't change much
10 days ago, Durant met with Nets owner Joe Tsai to discuss his trade request. During the meeting, Durant reportedly told Tsai to trade him or fire Nets head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks.
After that report made all the headlines, Tsai sent out a tweet: "Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets," Tsai tweeted. Durant was seemingly hoping that his ultimatum would force the Nets to become more engaged in trying to find a trade partner.
But that hasn't changed much as nothing has really happened since that meeting. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Durant's demand has only hurt his trade value. “Doing it now is a maneuver, a maneuver that I don’t think worked because as I talk to teams out there, they don’t think this increased his trade demand.
They think this hurt his trade value,” Windhorst said on NBA Today. On paper, the Nets still look like one of the most talented teams with Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben SImmons on their roster. Jamal Crawford, who played with Durant and Irving on the Nets in 2020, said he "could easily see" the two stars coming back to the Nets for this upcoming season.
“For them, I don’t know. I could easily see them coming back, but everything is so fluid in the NBA, and things change fast. So, whether they come back or not, I want them to be happy. They both are friends of mine, and they both care deeply about people & basketball,” said Crawford.