Kevin Durant is once again the talk of the town in NBA circles on Tuesday after the Brooklyn Nets confirmed that he will stay with the team. His request to leave has had a serious impact on the league; his fellow players have tried calling him out on it. However, the matter finally seems settled, and the NBA world is now reacting to it.
Considering that KD had given an ultimatum to owner Joe Tsai, who had chosen Steve Nash and Sean Marks over him, this recent statement raised some questions. Many were wondering exactly how they were able to pull that off without ruining the relationships and Shams Charania got on the Pat McAfee to give insight into the situation.
"The Nets had a crazy asking price for KD & that asking price just was not met" ~@ShamsCharania#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/GACoRLltQD
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 23, 2022
“I think that’s the best way to describe it. A business relationship. Both sides looked around… and there was no one that was stepping up to the capacity that the Nets had. The Nets had a crazy asking price. They wanted an All-Star, they wanted multiple high-level rotation players, they wanted all your draft picks. And that asking price was just not met.
“The Boston Celtics put forth an offer, the Grizzlies made an offer, the Atlanta Hawks, every team. Phoenix, Golden State, it goes on and on. Teams called and inquired but no one was willing to meet that asking price. And from everything I’ve been told, the outcome of that meeting yesterday between Kevin Durant, his business manager Rich Kleiman, everyone from the Nets, Sean Marks, Steve Nash, and ownership, they all agreed that it’s in everyone’s best interests to move on. No trade was happening, it was clear.”
Ultimately then, it seems like this is reconciliation based on convenience. How that will affect the dynamic of the Nets next season remains to be seen, but the situation is still far from ideal. They have all the pieces they need for a championship run, though, and that is still something that is very much on the table.
