One of the biggest storylines of the 2022 NBA offseason was the Kevin Durant trade request that was made to the Brooklyn Nets. Durant shocked the basketball world when he sought to be moved just days after Kyrie Irving opted into his contract for the 2022-23 season.
Following the request, Brooklyn made it clear that they were looking to acquire as many assets as possible for him. They sought a blue chip All-Star level player, another role player and draft compensation at a minimum.
One thing that was never discussed following the request was why it was made in the first place. During Media Day, Durant finally revealed what made him request a trade from the Nets. The uncertainty surrounding the organization following James Harden’s trade to the Philadelphia 76ers was what Durant cited as his reasoning.
“It was a lot of uncertainty around our team last year. I committed to this organization for 4 years last summer with the idea that we were gonna be playing with that group (KD Kyrie & James Harden).”
No one ever came close to meeting the asking price that the Nets had set, as it was an unrealistic asking price. Durant provided the team with an ultimatum at one point, saying it was either him or general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Kerr that had to go.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kevin Durant & Brooklyn Nets Updates
That was not something that ownership was going to give in to, as Durant and Irving already had a ton of influence over the decisions that were being made. When they started pushing back against Durant and Irving’s demands is when they looked for an exit plan.
At the end of the day, Durant rescinded his trade request as both sides agreed to continue their partnership. No trade getting finished didn’t surprise the former MVP as he knows what he means to the franchise and his worth.
“I know I’m that good that you’re just not going to give me away.” Said he appreciated that message from Marks and Tsai: “You’re too great for us to give you away. Just that easy that simple. I get that. I know who I am.”
The Nets weren’t going to trade Durant just to get a deal done. With four guaranteed years on his contract, there was no incentive to trade him. Durant tried to create leverage, but there was really none as teams weren’t presenting the Nets with strong offers.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kevin Durant & Brooklyn Nets Updates
For now, everyone is committed to winning during the upcoming season. However, as we have seen previously, things can change quickly in the NBA. There is no drama right now, but it wouldn’t shock anyone if that changed at some point during the regular season.
