Kevin Durant is going to stay with the Brooklyn Nets after all the trade saga that prevailed for almost the entire off season.
The Brooklyn Nets announced in a joint statement with Kevin Durant’s Boardroom media company that the superstar forward and his agent, Rich Kleiman, have sat down and reached an agreement with Nets owner Joe Tsai, general manager Sean Marks, and head coach to have a. Steve Nash in Los Angeles on Monday.
“We have agreed to move forward with our partnership,” Marks wrote in a statement. “We approach basketball with a common goal: to build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn.”
In other words, Durant is still a Net and the Nets are still a legitimate threat to win an NBA championship.
That possibility of a championship in Brooklyn was in jeopardy as Durant twice requested a trade following Kyrie Irving’s contract negotiations.
The discussions led to Irving’s being released from the final year of his contract worth $36.5 million rather than signing him to a new long-term deal that gives him security in Brooklyn.
Durant formally requested a trade on June 30, then met with Tsai in London two weeks ago and asked the Nets’ governor to trade him for or fire both Marks and Nash.
The Nets were also unwilling to pay a penny on the dollar for a deal with Durant, and Durant was, at least at the time, adamant about his desire to leave Brooklyn.
The best offers from the Celtics, Pelicans, Suns, and Raptors never included the best player on each team, and the Nets have never wavered in their stance of wanting an All-Star, multiple role players, and draft pay in exchange for a top-5 player.
And now here we are: These stakeholders had a limited amount of time to improve their offerings. The Pelicans never wanted to include Brandon Ingram in a Durant deal;
The Celtics reportedly offered Jaylen Brown but declined to take on Marcus Smart or Robert Williams.
The Heat were unable to pick up Bam Adebayo as he and Ben Simmons are signed to the same maximum rookie extension, preventing CBA teams from trading against two players who signed such a deal. The Suns never made Devin Booker available and could not trade Deandre Ayton after he signed an offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers.
It all worked out in the Nets’ favor as the best scenario for Brooklyn and Durant was a meeting at Barclays Center.
The Brooklyn Nets are once again the title favorite’s after Kevin Durant decision
.Last season, the Nets never had a chance: COVID-19 hit their roster, Joe Harris suffered a season-ending injury in November, Irving was never vaccinated and didn’t play a game until January, Harden got frustrated and asked for a trade, and Ben Simmons agreed to Harden’s deal but never played a game due to persistent back problems.
Now the Nets have run him back. Simmons has reportedly finally moved up to three-on-three training and is expected to be fully healthy for the season after undergoing back surgery.
Irving is on a one-year deal and needs to be motivated to prove he’s making the full five years worth more than $250 million.
Kevin Durant is still considered one of the best players in basketball, even if he struggled to get his way against the best defense in the league in Boston in the first round last season.
KD returns to an improved roster that still needs work. Marks traded a pick-and-trade exception in the first round against the Utah Jazz for three and D’s Royce O’Neale swagger.
Sean Marks also signed a minimum contract with well-known goalscorer TJ Warren, although an ongoing foot injury has kept Warren off the pitch for the last two seasons. The Nets also added shooting guard Edmond Sumner, who also picked up a leg injury.
Marks also signed both Patty Mills and Nic Claxton. Two new two-year contracts
The networks also have their mid-level exception available to sign free agents. The free agent market has just reopened after Durant reaffirmed his desire to remain in Brooklyn.
And so does Las Vegas; with the Nets now back as legitimate championship contenders and Durant’s presence on the rise, the list gives you the chance to win every game, every night.
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