Kevin Durant took his trade request to Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai. But instead of trying to make amends and pave the way for reconciliation, the two-time NBA champion burned all bridges back to Barclays Center.
Durant has informed the team that he wants to pursue a ring elsewhere. He's listed multiple contenders as desired destinations in a trade, yet no one has been able to meet the Nets' asking price for him.
He's got four years left on his contract, so time should be on Brooklyn's side. However, NBA insider Marc Stein reports that the belief around the league is that Durant will sabotage the organization from within to lower his trade value as much as possible.
NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant Could Create Chaos In Brooklyn To Lower His Trade Value
(Transcript via Marc Stein)
"Durant ramped up his push to exit Brooklyn via trade in a face-to-face meeting Saturday with Nets owner Joe Tsai in London by insisting that he wants to be sent elsewhere unless GM Sean Marks and Coach Steve Nash are fired. Tsai said Monday via Twitter that Marks and Nash 'have my support.'
There is a growing belief among rival teams that Durant knew when he issued that me-or-them ultimatum that Tsai had no intention of yielding to the request and firing Marks and Nash. One resultant theory that the Durant/Tsai meeting spawned is the idea KD has begun trying to manufacture as much behind-the-scenes discord as he can in hopes that it will lead the Nets to lower their asking price and trade him out of exasperation."
The Nets did everything humanly possible to keep Durant happy, but this is a ruthless business. Truth be told, they'd be better off by moving on from this dark chapter of their story and getting as much as they can for him before things get out of hand.
