Kevin Durant to Nets owner: Trade me or fire Sean Marks and Steve Nash

In a face-to-face meeting with Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai over the weekend, All-NBA star Kevin Durant reiterated his trade request and informed Tsai that he needs to choose between Durant or the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and coach …

In a face-to-face meeting with Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai over the weekend, All-NBA star Kevin Durant reiterated his trade request and informed Tsai that he needs to choose between Durant or the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash, sources tell The Athletic. Durant stated he does not have faith in the team’s direction, sources said.
Source: Shams Charania @ The Athletic

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Sean Highkin @highkin
The mistake that KD and Kyrie made (and LeBron in LA) was not realizing that being a GM is a full-time job that a star player can’t do while also being a star player. Same reason it never works out well when a coach is also the GM. They’re both jobs that require full attention. – 2:41 PM
Ryan Blackburn @NBABlackburn
Hasn’t Joe Tsai done everything Kevin Durant wanted him to do already? Or am I crazy? – 2:40 PM
Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Steve Nash is the Nets coach in large part because Durant/Irving wanted and pushed for him. Sean Marks bent the organization backward for his stars and did virtually everything they asked.
Apparently, that’s not good enough for some. – 2:39 PM
Brady Hawk @BradyHawk305
With all that being said about picking between KD or the coach and GM, I’d keep an eye on the Kyrie situation again
Not a report lol – 2:38 PM
Sean Highkin @highkin
Didn’t Nash get the job pretty much entirely because KD wanted him? It wasn’t even known that he was interested in being a head coach before that. – 2:35 PM
Gerald Bourguet @GeraldBourguet
No mention of the Suns in that Shams article. Lists the Celtics, Heat and Raptors as the “most significant” trade partners, and also provides Tsai with a pathway to keeping KD around. Less than ideal! – 2:35 PM
Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
In a meeting with Nets owner Joe Tsai, Kevin Durant reiterated his trade request and informed Tsai that Tsai needs to choose between Durant or the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash, sources say.
Story: theathletic.com/3485297/2022/0…2:31 PM
Mike Curtis @MikeACurtis2
It’s way too early for KD content lol. – 7:59 AM
Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
Have NOT run into KD or Harden yet … but let’s see if they drop in on the other big show in London: pic.twitter.com/RqPi0eQSH011:30 AM

Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
During his NBA Summer League debut, Chet Holmgren dominated in a pair of Nike KD 15s. Over the next three weeks, there was an 87% spike in eBay searches for the KD 15s.
Also, there was a 30% spike in eBay searches for Paolo Banchero’s adidas Exhibit As: basketballnews.com/stories/banche…6:20 PM
Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
Frank Isola on why a trade with Kevin Durant has not happened yet.
#NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/MF6dw1eV6i4:18 PM

Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
“You’re telling me Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown is not a centerpiece for this deal?”
@Sam Mitchell tells @Brian Geltzeiler the Brooklyn Nets need to figure out what they want for Kevin Durant. pic.twitter.com/aAMYQJQcbf1:38 PM

Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
A thought I just had: if Kevin Durant hadn’t signed an extension last offseason, he probably would’ve used his player option to threaten the Nets into trading him to Phoenix for like, Bridges, Crowder and one or two picks.
The league got very lucky that KD extended. – 8:57 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Most PPG by a teenager (minimum 40 games):
21.9 — LeBron James
21.0 — Carmelo Anthony
20.9 — Luka Doncic
20.3 — Kevin Durant
19.3 — Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/SOQczlObRH3:01 PM

More on this storyline

 

Durant and Tsai spoke in London on Saturday and sources described the discussion as transparent and professional. The meeting took place a year to the day that Durant agreed to a four-year, $198 million contract extension with the Nets and barely over a month after his initial trade request on June 30. He is now entering the first season of that extension. -via The Athletic / August 8, 2022
The Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat remain the most significant candidates to acquire Durant, sources said, with Boston’s package centering around All-Star forward Jaylen Brown seen as a viable deal. Tsai and the Nets have made clear privately that they will take every last asset from a team that trades for Durant, sources said. -via The Athletic / August 8, 2022
Boston gave Tatum the supermax rookie extension. He’s their designated star, even if Brown was the better player in June and has been instrumental to the team’s success. Tatum’s input always matters because they’re building around him. Brown and Smart have undoubtedly been a part of that foundation, but they’ve also been in trade rumors as long as they can remember. Not Tatum. He’s deeply entrenched, though he says he’s staying out of it anyway. “The cool part about his job is Brad don’t tell me how to do my job anymore. You not the coach,” Tatum said with a sly grin. “He lets me do my thing. I let him do his thing. In all honesty, that’s his decision and that’s his job.” -via The Athletic / August 8, 2022