Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant recently reiterated his demand to get traded out Brooklyn as soon as possible and could be heading towards a training camp “holdout”, per NBA insider Brian Windhorst.
“A week ago, if you had asked me, ‘Will Kevin Durant hold out of training camp if he’s not traded?’ I would have been like, ‘Ehh, I can’t see it.’ Now I can see it. That is what we’re headed towards,” Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective podcast.
More and more players the last two years tried to force the hand of their teams and get out of a situation. Durant made a power play by setting as a demand the firing of head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks to stay in Brooklyn.
Joe Tsai publicly responded to the report on Twitter, saying he has no plans to acquiesce to Durant’s demands. Boston, Toronto and Miami are currently among the interested sides to acquire the All-Star, but the Nets’ steep price put a hold in trade talks.
Should the Nets fail to make a trade before camp, Nash and every player on the roster will be forced to answer constant questions about Durant’s desire for the coach’s removal. In any case, the situation will be a mess after a tough 2021-22 season off the court.
"A week ago, if you had asked me, 'will Kevin Durant hold out of training camp if he's not traded?' I would have been like, 'I can't see it.' Now I can see it. That is what we're headed towards."
— @WindhorstESPNpic.twitter.com/Zhjx1LfO2X
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) August 13, 2022