NBA superstar Kevin Durant failed in his mission to force himself out of Brooklyn. After weeks of rumor and speculation, with an ultimatum in between, KD decided to rescind his demand when he finally realized just how little leverage he had.
But for one league executive, Durant’s biggest mistake was not the way he handled the situation but rather the length of the original contract extension he signed last year.
(via Heavy):
“The guy who miscalculated was Kevin Durant, because he took that four-year deal,” the exec explained. “He didn’t take a page out of LeBron’s book and take a shorter-term deal. LeBron’s bet on himself, and that’s kept him in a leverage position with his team. With all his teams really. You can put on pressure when you have an opt-out coming up soon, but it’s a lot harder to scare your team when that team is sitting there holding your signed four-year contract.”
Durant pulled a lot of tricks to force Brooklyn’s hand. He met with the team owner directly, where he tried to make ultimatums that would force a move to happen.
He also worked behind the scenes to create an environment that punished the team for keeping him around.
But in the end, none of it mattered. The Nets weren’t intimidated because Durant is already locked into a long-term deal. Had he agreed to short, 1-year contracts, he might have had the option to become a free agent this summer and choose his own team.
Instead, he’s stuck with the Nets, and nobody is sure how long it will last.
What is the guarantee that Durant will not ask to be traded once again if things go south? With that thought in mind, NBA analyst Frank Isola claimed that he believes KD will not be a member of the Brooklyn Nets by this time around next year.
“I would think at this time next year, Kevin Durant will not be on the Brooklyn Nets.”
At nearly 34 years old, Durant (presumably) doesn’t have much time left in his basketball career, especially with an Achilles tear in his records. It would be a real shame if the end came before he captured another title.
As for the state of his future with the Nets, he has nobody to blame but himself. He joined them, he chose to sign a long-term deal with them, and he elected to give up entirely after a crushing playoff defeat sent his team home.
