Kevin Durant’s trade request has drawn hot takes left and right. Some believe he’s running away again; some claim he’s got every right to do what’s best for his career, and some just pity the Brooklyn Nets for having to deal with all of this.
The Nets have gone through plenty of drama over the past couple of seasons. From Kyrie Irving missing games to go party, James Harden wanting out, Kyrie not getting the vaccine, and then Ben Simmons not even playing.
Durant was the franchise cornerstone, and they dealt with all of that because that’s the price they had to pay to keep him around. That’s why now, they won’t let him go at a discount regardless of what he wants.
NBA Rumors: Nets May Not Trade Kevin Durant After All
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Nets have set quite thesteep price for the two-time NBA champion. The price is so high that no other team in the league is willing to meet their demands:
“[Kevin] Durant’s price is so high that nobody can afford to pay it,” Windhorst said. “Right now, everybody waiting for the price to get lower. I’m not hearing anything changing as far as the demand phase of this process.”
Rival Teams Aren’t Sure About Trading For KD
Also, according to NBA insider Marc Stein,rival executives are hesitant to trade away multiple assets for a player that’s very high-maintenance and nearly impossible to please. Apparently, they know they can’t keep him happy:
(Transcript via Marc Stein)
“Some of it can be attributed to the fact that Durant’s most desired destinations — Phoenix and Miami — are contending teams less than flush with the sort of trade assets that the Nets covet.
“The persistent scuttle around the league, though, is that clubs interested in Durant mostly fear their ability to keep him content more than they feel any concern about his advancing age. ‘If the Nets can’t keep him happy, after everything they’ve given him, how are we supposed to?’ one Western Conference team official told me.”
At the end of the day, it seems like Durant will have no choice but to run it back with the Nets. He’s still got four years left in his contract, so he could still leave somewhere down the line, just not right now.