Kevin Durant's trade ultimatum to the Brooklyn Nets didn't sit well with a lot of people, including league executives and coaches who believe he went too far with his demands.
For those who missed it, Durant basically reiterated to Nets owner Joe Tsai that he wants out of Brooklyn. He did give the team an opportunity to keep him, but that would only happen if they fire both head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks.
KD said he has lost faith in the direction the franchise is taking; hence, the demand.
In an interview with Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com, however, a couple of unnamed exec and coach shared their shock and disappointment over the demand and obvious power play.
“I get that players have more power these days, but I think it’s a little too far if he’s out here trying to get Steve fired,” the anonymous coach shared.
The league exec–referred to as the head of basketball ops from another team–didn't hold back and shared he is “livid” with the ultimatum. After all, if there is someone Kevin Durant should blame for the recent struggles of the Nets, it's himself and Kyrie Irving.
“Livid. He and Kyrie (Irving) basically told Sean they were coming (as free agents in 2019), and Sean did pretty much everything they wanted after that. Signing DeAndre Jordan for four years? That’s something Kyrie and KD wanted. Getting James Harden? Then getting a guy who should be a perfect complement to them (Ben Simmons) when Harden wanted out? Sean did all that,” the exec explained.
“And now KD doesn’t like how it’s all worked out? There’s probably some other people he should talk to about that, maybe even a teammate.”
True enough, Durant may have been unfair with his trade ultimatum considering the fact that he and Irving are just equally to blame. Sure he did play his heart out for Brooklyn, but he definitely can't say that he's not part of the problem after being a major factor and influence in their roster decisions and more.
It's unknown what the Nets plan to do with the star forward, but it is worth noting that recent reports claim he hurt his trade value because of the move.
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