As the standoff between Kevin Durant and Joe Tsai continues, many in the NBA community are convinced that the Nets should just keep Durant around and force him to suit up.
While they can’t technically make KD step out onto the court, the length of his contract means his fate is entirely in Brooklyn’s hands until the very last year of his deal.
But could Durant’s displeasure with Brooklyn force him to take some drastic measures? According to one executive, the answer is yes.
In a chat with Marc Stein, he explained that KD may very well prefer retirement over playing another game for the Nets.
During summer league in Las Vegas, one of the most well-connected team executives I speak to regularly insisted to me that, based on what he was hearing, Kevin Durant was more apt to retire than play again for the Brooklyn Nets. This was in early July.
I told the tipster that I simply couldn’t believe that. I was a loyal subscriber to the theory that Durant The Hooper loves playing basketball way too much to adopt such a stance.
Now? More than a month later? Attaching the R-word to Durant still comes across as serious hyperbole, but it is certainly getting easier to envision him refusing to report to training camp when the Nets get back together in six weeks for Media Day (Sept. 26) and their first practices of the new season (Sept. 27).
The reasons for Durant’s trade demand are still not yet clear. We know that he has lost trust in the team, and wants both Steve Nash and Sean Marks gone for good. But, on paper, he should have everything he wants in Brooklyn. He’s got his best friend at his side, a cast of talented role-players to back him up, and a home in New York City, which remains America’s largest city.
But after so much turmoil over the past few years, Durant has seen enough, and now he knows that Joe Tsai is going to choose his coach and GM over him.
We don’t yet know how far this will go but don’t be surprised if KD disappears for a while before the start of the new season.
