Kevin Durant is one of the greatest basketball players of all time and should be treated and respected as such. However, his legacy has suffered a couple of blows or at least the narrative around him.
Durant's decision to join the Golden State Warriors was highly questioned. But then, some finally gave him credit for trying to win on his own in Brooklyn, just to tell the Nets that he wanted to be traded a couple of years later.
Nonetheless, as much as some love to hate KD, NBA legend Scottie Pippen actually supports his decision to pursue a new destination. Per the six-time NBA champion, the owners have been acting that way for ages.
NBA News: Scottie Pippen Supports Kevin Durant's Decision To Seek A Trade
“You know, that’s the game today. Players control their own destiny and not much loyalty is needed on either side of the table anymore. I’m fine with it, to be honest,"Pippen told Sirius XM radio.
"I kind of like how the players have their freedom to change and it’s what the owners have been doing to players for years," Pippen added. "So, they just even the playing field, to me. I don’t feel bad for what KD is doing at all. I think it’s a great move for him. You move as much as you want, in today’s game. It’s like, to me, playing pick-up basketball.”
Nets Are Playing The Long Game With Durant's Trade Request
Still, the Nets are in no rush to part ways with their future Hall of Famer. They've set an astronomically high asking price for the four years remaining on his contract and won't settle for a dime less, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst:
"We have a pretty gigantic gulf between what the Nets value who Kevin Durant is and what the market is willing to pay," explained Windhorst. "Durant is obviously a very valuable player, nobody doubts that this guy is still is in prime years as an MVP-level candidate who can completely swing a team from pretender to contender with his presence."
"However, the market does not want to pay a super premium price for him because if you trade away all of these top assets on your team to get him, he becomes less valuable to you. That gulf is why we're in a stalemate right now and could have one for a while," Windhorst concluded.
While this isn't the first time a superstar requests to leave, they've done it with one or two years left on their contracts, so KD's situation is nearly unprecedented. That's why we shouldn't expect any closure or final decision soon.
