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Brian Windhorst said that Kevin Durant’s latest move surprised the entire league, calling his actions "ridiculous and preposterous."
Windhorst said:
“Demanding the head coach and general manager be fired in August, … it’s so ridiculous and preposterous at this point that it’s easy for the Nets to say no to.”
Kevin Durant’s recent actions surprise league
On Monday, Kevin Durant demanded that Brooklyn either trades him or gets rid of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash. That ultimatum reportedly happened during a meeting with Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai.
Later that day, Tsai tweeted his support for the front office and coaching staff in a public denial of KD’s request.
Windhorst explained the surprise of KD’s ask:
“The league was pretty surprised by this move by Durant; it’s a little bit curious. Clearly, what he wanted was to reiterate his trade demand and to speed up the process.”
However, this move may not have sped up the process. Now that the league knows Brooklyn is at an impasse with its head office and star player with training camp approaching, anything can happen.
If Durant does not show up to training camp, will his value increase or decrease?
Well, it's going to set Brooklyn up to have to make a decision. Will the Nets cut KD’s value and rid themselves of an unhappy entity? Or will they devote themselves to Kyrie Irving and let Durant sit if he wants?
Windhorst discussed how KD’s gamble affects his value:
“It also sends a message to the rest of the league out there that this is a player who is essentially going to get cheaper, not more expensive.”
The problem with Durant taking this stand is that he will be 34 years old when the season begins. With roughly four years left in his career, can he really afford to sit? The two-time champion may have to swallow his ordeal for the love of the game.
Windhorst said:
“It limited his options. … How do you go forward and report to training camp when you’ve been told no?”
If Durant reports to a training camp led by the person he wanted fired, it will produce an awkward situation, to say the least. Windhorst’s question bears a hard truth for both sides of this squabble.
Even if KD shows up, will the chemistry be the same? Will the vibes in the gym be broken down, or will Steve Nash be able to build the team back up?
The problem, of course, is that there has yet to be an "up" to build back to. That is Durant’s issue with Nash and Marks.
In any case, requesting an owner to gut his team's entire upper structure is a daring ask in the middle of August.
