Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant reportedly gave owner Joe Tsai an ultimatum: trade him or fire general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash. However, as reported by Brian Lewis of the New York Post, Durant's âissues with the Nets and specifically their owner Joe Tsai go much deeper than his demand they fire coach Steve Nash.â
Lewis' source says âthe ultimatum he made is not what really caused the deterioration.â The source also told him this: âI would think there are so many things, itâs not one thing. I think KD wants to leave and it doesnât matter what reasons he says.â
One key decision is highlighted as something that recently upset Kevin Durant: the move to fire assistant coach and director of player development Adam Harrington without consulting the Nets star.
Lewis also speculates based on ârumorsâ that Durant is upset about having to get vaccinated last summer. There âmightâ have been some âdisappointmentâ that Tsai didn't do more to lobby politicians on New York City vaccination rules. Unvaccinated Nets players weren't able to play home games for a good chunk of the season, which resulted in Kyrie Irving becoming a part-time player until the rules were changed.
Marks does get thrown under the bus in this report, which states he was the âdriving forceâ behind the hiring of Nash and that Durant believes âhe traded away too many pieces.â
It's clear Kevin Durant is upset with a lot of things going on in Brooklyn, but no trade is in sight and the Nets don't seem keen on lowering their asking price. If they don't trade him before training camp, would he not show up? While this report suggests KD would rejoin the team, another suggested he might be willing to hold out.