Kevin Durant had a bit of a tough offseason. He found out the hard way that his trade value and his leverage weren’t as high as he thought, failing to force a trade out of the Brooklyn Nets.
Simply put, Durant’s reputation took yet another hit, albeit to no avail. It’s not like he got any of his conditions done, but fans won’t forget the fact that he once again tried to force his way out of a team.
That’s why NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett didn’t hesitate to take a swipe at him. Per Garnett, going back to Brooklyn after all that off-season drama showed how little leverage he actually had.
NBA News: Kevin Garnett Rips Kevin Durant For Going Back To The Brooklyn Nets
“KD didn’t get traded. Lowkey controlled his movement. Do you know why they didn’t love it? Because he got the leverage himself,” Garnett told Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson in“All the Smoke.”
“You understand what I’m saying? I heard him almost going back to Golden State, I heard that. I heard that was a real thing. I couldn’t understand it, I’ve never seen a situation where a guy tells the owner, a b, and c of it, and then it don’t get done, and the guy is [like], ‘okay cool, I’m coming back,'” Garnett added.
Suns Didn’t Want To Trade Cam Johnson To Get Durant
Multiple teams were interested in Durant, yet none of them wanted to bet against themselves. In fact, the Phoenix Suns didn’t even want to include a sixth man like Cam Johnson in a trade for him:
“Instead, Phoenix has aimed to supplant Crowder in its starting group with Cam Johnson. During the team’s trade pursuit of Kevin Durant this summer, sources said, Suns officials remained steadfast that Johnson was off limits,” Fischer reported.
While Durant is one of the greatest players of all time, his well-documented character issues drove multiple teams away from putting together big-time offers. Now, he’s stuck in Brooklyn and with fans who may not like him that much.
