The Kevin Durant trade saga has been the main storyline surrounding the 2022 NBA offseason. With each day, it seems a new revelation is made regarding Durant's feelings towards the Nets, his trade request, or the NBA in general. Chances are it won't stop until this situation reaches some sort of resolution either.

The latest piece of news surrounding Kevin Durant's trade request is certainly a shocker, though. Durant has made it pretty clear that he is unwilling to play for the Nets moving forward, unless team owner Joe Tsai were to fire general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash. But since Tsai hasn't sounded to eager to pull off such a move, Durant has made it clear he still wants to be traded.

The problem so far this offseason has been Brooklyn's asking price. No team has been willing to come near what the Nets are asking for, and the Nets aren't in any sort of rush to unload Durant for less than their asking price. If Durant doesn't get traded, what would his next move be? According to Marc Stein, some executives believe Durant would retire before he ever suited up for the Nets again, which is a pretty shocking admission.

“During summer league in Las Vegas, one of the most well-connected team executives I speak to regularly insisted to me that, based on what he was hearing, Kevin Durant was more apt to retire than play again for the Brooklyn Nets. This was in early July.” – Marc Stein

Durant potentially retiring if he isn't traded is another wild piece of the puzzle. Would Brooklyn risk holding onto Durant, only for him to retire and leave them without any return? Stein's latest bit of gossip is certainly worth keeping an eye on as trade rumors surrounding Kevin Durant continue to swirl.