After weeks of rumor and speculation, the Kevin Durant saga has finally come to an end (at least, for now). Assessing the situation, Durant must have realized that no teams in the league were going to pay the premium price to pull him out of Brooklyn.
So, he has agreed to stay for a while longer despite none of his “demands” having been met. Among the immediate reactions from fans and analysts, FOX Sports broadcaster Colin Cowherd also posted his thoughts on the recent turn of events.
“So Kevin Durant is going to stay with the Nets after meeting with the owner, Steve Nash, the GM… what leverage did he have? You had four years left and I think Brooklyn probably made it really simple. They said, ‘listen, KD, the well-run teams (Miami, Golden State, Boston, Milwaukee, Memphis) they’re interested in you, but they’re not gonna gutt their teams for you. So you can stay with us or go to a poorly run franchise and be a $20 million chandelier in a lousy house.’ With those choices, KD’s better off staying.”
“What leverage did he have?”@ColinCowherd reacts to Kevin Durant reportedly staying in Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/YJmLEaKWLi
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) August 23, 2022
No matter your feelings on Cowherd, he’s on the money with this analysis. Even with how good he is on the court, Durant’s contract ensured that he had no leverage throughout this whole process, and team owner Joe Tsai refused to panic.
So, instead of catering to KD and completely overhauling the font office to satisfy his wishes, they stood firm and waited him out.
In the short term, it means the Nets have at least one more season of contention before they have to worry about losing their core.
In the long term, it’s impossible to say for sure. KD is almost as unpredictable as Irving, But we do know that he loves to hoop, and a few months of dominating the league with his best friend could easily change his entire perception of the franchise.
