Kevin Durant wants to leave the Brooklyn Nets and would prefer a move to the Boston Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers.
The two-time NBA champion has given Nets’ owner Joe Tsai an ultimatum that he should either trade him or fire head coach Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks.
With Tsai supporting both Nash and Marks, it seems there is no other option but to trade Durant. However, Brooklyn’s extremely high demands make it difficult for Boston and Philadelphia to pursue a trade.
“Durant sees Boston as a desired landing spot, per people familiar with the matter. Durant also would like to play with Boston’s Marcus Smart if he is traded to the Celtics, per people familiar with the matter.
Something worth noting: As of earlier this week, there were high-ranking members of the Sixers who’ve felt strongly about engaging with Brooklyn on a Durant trade. It is unknown if Brooklyn and Philadelphia have made any recent progress on a trade,” Ian Begley of SNY reports.
If things don’t change in the coming weeks, it is likely the Nets will lower their trade demands and proceed to a deal for Kevin Durant. Otherwise, the superstar forward may skip the training camp and sit out the start of the season.
Kevin Durant averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in 55 regular season games last season. He still has four years and $194.2M left on his current contract.