"He calls himself the god and now I’m starting to question a little bit the power of Kevin Durant" - Former NBA champion doesn't believe KD has 'the juice that he thinks he has'

Kevin Durant is still with the Brooklyn Nets more than a month after informing Joe Tsai he wants to be traded. [Photo: New York Post]

More than a month after requesting team owner Joe Tsai for a trade, Kevin Durant is still stuck with the Brooklyn Nets. Most NBA teams have deemed KD’s price as too steep in the current market.

To reinforce his point, Durant reportedly had another meeting with Tsai but was again rebuffed and told he will not be sold unless Brooklyn gets the historic haul they expect.

Former NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins, on NBA Today, wondered how much power KD has left with the Nets after demanding a trade:

“Here’s the thing that's confusing to me…He calls himself the god and now I’m starting to question a little bit the power of Kevin Durant. Do you wanna be popular or you wanna be powerful? KD asked for a trade about five weeks ago, he didn’t move the needle.”

He added:

“All of a sudden, Kevin Durant comes back and now he gives Joe Tsai an ultimatum...Now, all of a sudden there’s speculation that he might consider retiring, to all of a sudden he has to move the needle to that aspect?”

He further noted:

“I’m trying to see right now, does KD really have the juice that he thinks he has? Because if he did, he wouldn’t have to go through all these necessary steps to get what he wants.”

Joe Tsai has dug into his stance that he will no longer cede control of his franchise to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. He has played hardball with both of them in the offseason and hasn’t budged on that despite KD’s reported ultimatum.

To make sure Durant and the public knew he wasn't going to be bullied, Tsai tweeted:

“Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.”

Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.

Kendrick Perkins urges the Brooklyn Nets to accept Kevin Durant’s request

Kendrick Perkins sees trading KD is the best move the Brooklyn Nets can make. [Photo: NetsDaily]

For Perkins, who is now an ESPN analyst, the Brooklyn Nets may just have to let go of the wantaway superstar. There seems to be no way to undo the trade demand and the ultimatum that may have ruffled Joe Tsai’s feathers.

Here’s what KP had to say about the best possible solution for all parties involved in the matter.

“If I’m the Nets, to me, you gotta get rid of Kevin Durant at this point. If you look at the front office, Kevin Durant really hasn’t been in communication with the Brooklyn Nets…How can you resolve this if you’re gonna keep Steve Nash and Sean Marks?”

He added:

“There’s no way you can bring back Kevin Durant after he just called for their jobs. In my opinion, the Brooklyn Nets are gonna have to take less, which is not gonna be bad at all. They’re still gonna get back some pieces and draft picks and you’re gotta move on from KD.”

Boston Celtics emerge as 'front-runner' to land Kevin Durant after the Brooklyn Nets steep asking price is revealed #Celtics #CelticsTalk #CelticsNation #GreenRunsDeep yardbarker.com/nba/articles/b…

The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers have emerged as serious contenders to acquire KD. Tsai has made it clear that he won’t be forced to move Durant unless a king’s ransom is on the table.