Kevin Durant turned the NBA world on its head right before the free-agency period commenced when he requested to be traded from the Brooklyn Nets.
Given that he has four years left on his deal, the move caught a lot of folks by surprise.
Over the past few weeks two primary reasons emerged for Durant’s abrupt decision to leave Brooklyn.
That said, one unspoken one might have been his relationship with head coach Steve Nash.
According to respected NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, Durant actually preferred Ty Lue to Nash from the jump.
Yikes.
It will be interesting to see how this saga ultimately unfolds going forward. The Nets’ preferred path forward is known. They’re willing to deal Durant, as evidenced by the trade offer that the New Orleans Pelicans rejected, but so far nothing has materialized.
At this point, there is only one team Durant doesn’t want to go to. Everyone else is still in the hunt — pending a strong proposal.
According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, one team is currently “most determined” to land Durant, but that doesn’t mean they’ll get him.
Everything is still very much up in the air right now, including Durant returning to Brooklyn next year. In fact, that’s currently what oddsmakers expect will happen.
If Durant does come back to the Nets in 2022-23, how will he and Nash be able to coexist?
Time will tell.
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