Kevin Durant trying to lower Nets asking price?

There is a growing belief among rival teams that Durant knew when he issued that me-or-them ultimatum that Tsai had no intention of yielding to the request and firing Marks and Nash. One resultant theory that the Durant/Tsai meeting spawned is the …

There is a growing belief among rival teams that Durant knew when he issued that me-or-them ultimatum that Tsai had no intention of yielding to the request and firing Marks and Nash. One resultant theory that the Durant/Tsai meeting spawned is the idea KD has begun trying to manufacture as much behind-the-scenes discord as he can in hopes that it will lead the Nets to lower their asking price and trade him out of exasperation.
Source: Marc Stein @ marcstein.substack.com

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
From earlier — ASK IRA: Is Kevin Durant too much of a moving target for Heat? sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-h… – 5:22 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Kevin Durant in his 14 seasons:
— 27/7/4
— 50/38/88%
— 12x All-Star
— 10x All-NBA
— 2x NBA Champ
— 1x MVP
— 2x FMVP
A top ___ player of all-time. pic.twitter.com/6l8LRzdLl3 – 5:01 PM

Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42
Why Philadelphia is on the outside looking in on a possible Kevin Durant trade.
| NBA Today youtu.be/dgaQFRhPAdI via @YouTube – 4:39 PM
CBS NBA @CBSSportsNBA
Kevin Durant trade rumors: Nets star views 76ers as a ‘welcome landing spot,’ per report
cbssports.com/nba/news/kevin… – 4:20 PM
Henry Abbott @TrueHoop
Having talent is not the same as recognizing talent, say @David Thorpe and @jshector (and it kind of seems like they’re talking about Kevin Durant when they say it). https://t.co/jYTOtM9PLQ pic.twitter.com/ZCwYe2BJcH – 3:22 PM

Sopan Deb @SopanDeb
merrick garland: “the celtics have agreed to include two extra first round picks along with jaylen brown for kevin durant, sources tell the DOJ.” – 3:00 PM
Ky Carlin @Ky_Carlin
James Harden and Kevin Durant are working out together in Barcelona #Sixers pic.twitter.com/ByoPACUSQb – 2:38 PM

Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Kevin Durant’s heartwarming “You are the real MVP” acceptance speech was eight years ago.
KD, at age 25 and playing for the underdog OKC Thunder, was one of the most popular and beloved players in the entire league.
Remarkable to see how his career has played out since then… pic.twitter.com/rBcIb6CGsz – 2:22 PM

A. Sherrod Blakely @ASherrodblakely
Should the Celtics Stay Away From Kevin Durant? | A List Podcast w/ @A. Sherrod Blakely, @Gary Washburn & @KwaniALunis | Powered by @betonline_ag & @indeed twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1… – 1:30 PM
Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
‘The pros and cons of trading for Kevin Durant, what to make of Scottie Barnes guarding James Harden ‘ by Locked On 76ers – Daily Podcast On The Philadelphia Sixers megaphone.link/LKN5952435376 – 1:30 PM
Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
Pros & cons of Sixers trading for Durant, what to make of Barnes defendi… youtu.be/7ZW1uMzNqas via @YouTube – 1:29 PM
Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
I’m in for the ill @TravisRodgers on @ESPNLosAngeles with @Allen Sliwa from 10am-1pm PT! We’re talking Lakers, Dodgers, Rams, Durant, Kyrie, traffic protocol, food, and more. Listen up! AK – 1:11 PM
Jon Johnson @jonjohnsonwip
Kevin Durant? 1000% yes. Find a way. – 1:10 PM
Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
Listen to today’s episode of The Starting Lineup with @Frank Isola & @Brian Scalabrine on Pandora!
🏀 Latest KD Rumors
📽️ Dan Klores joins the show
📰 HEADLINES!
📞 @TermineRadio joins the show
pandora.app.link/L45O0PEJdsb – 1:04 PM
Austin Krell @NBAKrell
Durant dialogue as it pertains to Philly is effectively “how good do you think Tyrese Maxey will be?”
It’s a question of your perceived ceiling for Maxey and how likely you think he is to reach it.
As outstanding as he was last season, no guarantee of another huge step. – 12:44 PM
Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
ASK IRA: Is Kevin Durant too much of a moving target for Heat? sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-h… – 12:28 PM
Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
On June 30, Kevin Durant formally asked the Brooklyn Nets to trade him. On July 1, league sources tell me that Durant was owed and received an eight-figure check from the Nets in the midst of trying to convince the team to find him a new home.
Full story: marcstein.substack.com/p/trade-me-and… – 12:18 PM
Drew Hill @DrewHill_DM
Penny Hardaway, wearing “Born For Greatness” socks and special Kobe Bryant golf shoes, spit out his plan to add a few more players to the roster.
The model of those players?
“Kevin Durant and LeBron James,” he joked. dailymemphian.com/section/sports… – 11:21 AM
Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
Has there ever been 2 superstars (Kevin Durant & James Harden) that have played together on 3 different teams during their NBA career while still playing at a high level (even tho Harden’s level of play is debatable)? Wild change of events if KD & Harden teamed up in Philly – 10:57 AM
Marc Stein @TheSteinLine
League sources tell me that the Nets were required to cut Kevin Durant a sizable check on the very next day after he asked to be traded. Full report and explanation: marcstein.substack.com/p/trade-me-and… – 10:30 AM
Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
“He has no reason not to trust them”
@Brian Scalabrine weighs in on the rumors that Kevin Durant gave the Nets an ultimatum pic.twitter.com/ttkCT9MySW – 9:44 AM

Ian Begley @IanBegley
From earlier: some notes on the Nets, Celtics, Kevin Durant, Marcus Smart and the Sixers’ interest in Durant here: sny.tv/articles/sourc… – 8:49 AM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
This week’s Heat Check podcast: Ranking the top trades in Heat history and more Kevin Durant talk miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia…
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hea… – 8:24 AM
Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Is Kevin Durant too much of a moving target for Heat? Latest “Ask Ira” at sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-h… plus more. – 8:19 AM
A. Sherrod Blakely @ASherrodblakely
Should the Celtics Stay Away From Kevin Durant? a-list.libsyn.com/should-the-cel… – 6:08 AM
Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Kevin Durant reportedly now sees Boston as “desired landing spot” nba.nbcsports.com/2022/08/10/kev… – 11:50 PM
Ethan Strauss @SherwoodStrauss
Going live at 8:15 PST PM with @sportsrapport. Lotta possible topics, but probably starting with KD vs Tsai mess callin.com/link/beDQbGNtwJ – 10:07 PM
Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
NBA reporting:
Kevin Durant is still close with James Harden.
Kevin Durant still wants to play with James Harden.
Kevin Durant is mad at Nets for how they handled Kyrie Irving.
James Harden was fed up with Kyrie Irving.
Kevin Durant still wants to play with Kyrie Irving. 🤷‍♂️ – 9:27 PM

More on this storyline

 

On June 30, Kevin Durant formally asked the Brooklyn Nets to trade him. On July 1, league sources say Durant was owed and received an eight-figure check from the Nets — one of two massive advance payments that the disgruntled superstar is scheduled to collect from Brooklyn by Oct. 1 while he’s also in the midst of lobbying the team to move him. If it wasn’t sufficiently audacious that Durant is demanding a trade before playing a single game under the four-year, $194 million contract extension he signed in August 2021, there’s even more to consider. -via marcstein.substack.com / August 11, 2022
There’s good reason for pessimism, Durant’s ultimatum to Nets owner Joe Tsai did not light a fire under trade talks. If anything, it made it far less likely a deal gets done in the short term. — why would Boston improve its offer now? It robbed the Nets of leverage. For example, Brooklyn was trying to get Boston to put Smart in the trade, but why would they even consider it now? That said, even without Smart (or Robert Williams III, sources told NBC Sports he is not available), a Celtics offer with Jaylen Brown may be the best one the Nets will see. -via NBC Sports / August 11, 2022