MEGASTAR Kevin Durant issued an ultimatum to the Brooklyn Nets — choose between Durant or coach Steve Nash and general manager (GM) Sean Marks — multiple media outlets reported on Monday.
Nets owner Joe Tsai subsequently appeared to back his staff over the player, tweeting on Monday evening, “Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.”
It was well-documented that Durant requested a trade at the end of June. The reasons were unknown until now — Durant doesn’t believe in the direction of the club in the hands of Marks and Nash, per the reports. Durant and Tsai spoke on Saturday in London, a conversation that was “transparent and professional,” perThe Athletic.
On Saturday was the one-year anniversary of Durant signing a four-year, $198-million extension with the Nets. He is slated to make $42.97 million for the 2022-2023 season, per Spotrac, to kick off that extension.
The Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are widely reported to be the most serious players in the Durant sweepstakes.
A two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) and four-time scoring champion, Durant joined Brooklyn as a free agent in 2019 alongside Kyrie Irving. Durant averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 55 games this past season with the Nets, who traded fellow All-Star James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in a blockbuster deal involving Ben Simmons.
Durant, the 2013-2014 league MVP, has career averages of 27.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 939 games with the Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder (2007-16), Warriors (2016-19) and Nets. — Reuters
