"ESPN are going kick me outta the studio today!!! KD wanting out is ALL I NEEDED to hear" - Former NBA champion sends warning signs about potential Kevin Durant slander after news of him leaving Nets breaks out

Kevin Durant asked Brooklyn Nets team owner Joe Tsai for a trade. [Photo: New York Post]

Kendrick Perkins has praised Kevin Durant for requesting the Brooklyn Nets to trade him just a few days after Kyrie Irving opted into his contract.

For most of the season, the former NBA player has been rhetorically calling on Durant to stand up and put Irving in his place. When news broke that KD no longer wants to stay in Brooklyn, Perkins promptly took to social media to voice his pleasure:

“ESPN are going kick me outta the studio today!!! KD wanting out is ALL I NEEDED to hear. Carry the hell on…”

ESPN are going kick me outta the studio today!!! KD wanting out is ALL I NEEDED to hear. Carry the hell on…

“Big Perk” had a more detailed explanation of his tweet via ESPN:

“All I wanna say is how proud I am of Kevin Durant. Since him and Kyrie arrived in Brooklyn, he has been the most reliable, he has been the most loyal when it comes down to … showing up to work to this organization.”

I’m just PROUD of Kevin Durant for wanting out!!! Real Talk. Carry the hell on… https://t.co/eVkMwJQ1va

Perkins added:

“Durant has had Kyrie Irving’s back throughout this whole entire time. Irving has been a guy that you don’t know what he’s thinking, you don’t know what he’s about to do, a guy that you can somewhat say you cannot trust.”

He concluded:

“And I’m so happy that KD finally had the guts to go out there and make a decision for himself and say, ‘You know what, I don’t need this.’”

Perkins' point was that when healthy, Kevin Durant has been almost everything the Brooklyn Nets could hope for in a franchise player. He gave it everything he got, leading the Nets to the top of the East at one point last season without Kyrie Irving.

Durant reportedly worked hard to get “Kai” the contract he wanted, but when the Nets stood their ground, he finally pulled the plug. KD seems to have invested in Irving as a partner to his basketball aspirations but was sorely let down by his buddy.

COLUMN: Three years to the day after he left the Warriors for the Nets and his “super team,” six years, to the week, since he signed with the Warriors, KD “Keep Departing” is on the move yet again, writes @annkillion.

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The former MVP left the stability and culture of the Golden State Warriors for something akin to a circus in Brooklyn. Perhaps Kevin Durant, 34, feels he can no longer waste his remaining prime years hopelessly waiting for Irving to become a reliable partner.

It’s anybody’s guess where the Brooklyn Nets will trade Kevin Durant

The Brooklyn Nets could have the entire league as suitors for KD's services. [Photo: New York Post]

Besides being one of the best scorers the game has ever seen, Kevin Durant is a big-time attraction for teams because of his contract. He still has four years and $194 million remaining in his deal, which means he will be a free agent only after the 2025-26 season.

The Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns are reportedly two of the teams KD has on his list of preferred destinations. Going to any of those teams may be easier said than done, as the Nets will undoubtedly be looking for a historic return of assets.

Kevin Durant’s ‘main motivation’ is to play alongside Devin Booker or Jimmy Butler, per @VinceGoodwill https://t.co/aka4qPOtb4

Complicating the trade to any of those teams is the presence of Ben Simmons, who is on a designated rookie extension. The NBA’s CBA has a rule that no two players with such a contract can be under the same team via trade.

The rule prohibits a trade that will involve Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, among others.

As for Kevin Durant, the Heat are favored to land KD if he moves on from Brooklyn. Lakers have 12/1 odds, according to @betonline_ag: https://t.co/LeXJrqPZnO

Several other teams could also package something interesting for the Nets to trade Durant. The LA Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers and Memphis Grizzlies are rumored to be on that list.