“What it would appear Joe Tsai's motivations were 'I am 1 of the richest people in history... Kevin Durant is not dictating terms to me” - Nick Wright says he and KD underestimated mettle of Nets owner Joe Tsai
Kevin Durant decided to stick with the Brooklyn Nets despite handing in a trade request earlier in the offseason. Durant tried to force his way out by making lofty demands, but owner Joe Tsai was not willing to be strongarmed.
Durant spent months on the trade block, but no team was able to match the Nets' asking price. His demand for general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash to be fired wasn't met as Tsia sided with his staff.
The Kevin Durant trade discussions are over, the Nets say. He’s under contract for four years. twitter.com/BrooklynNets/s…
The topic was raised on What's Wright? With Nick Wright, where the sports analyst said that he, as well as Durant, underestimated Tsai's resolve.
(From 7:10)
"Kevin Durant handled this incredibly oddly. He did not go public with his trade request but nobody was disputing that it happened. He then met with Joe Tsai and Sean Marks and demanded the coach and the GM be fired. Which, I thought was the checkmate move."
After pointing out that Durant disputed only what he knew was false, he continued:
"I think KD and myself underestimated the mettle of Joe Tsai, the owner of the Brooklyn Nets. I thought Joe Tsai was gonna say, 'I just don't want this embarrassment, this distraction.'
"What it would appear Joe Tsai's motivations were, 'I am not going to be told what to do by anyone. I am one of the richest people in the history of the world. I am incredibly powerful I am incredibly successful, Kevin Durant is not dictating terms to me.'"
Kevin Durant was linked to several teams but no deal was made
Over the course of the offseason, Kevin Durant was linked to several teams. While there was a chance he could have joined any of them, none were willing to give up the pieces necessary to pull off the trade.
It was reported that Durant was interested in playing with either the Boston Celtics or the Phoenix Suns. The report stated that he wanted to play alongside Marcus Smart, but the Nets wanted the Defensive Player of the Year to be included in the deal.
REPORT: Kevin Durant views Boston as a “desired” landing spot and would like to play with Marcus Smart if traded to Celtics.
(via @IanBegley, sny.tv/articles/sourc…) https://t.co/MJaAAQVrNs
There was also talk of him being linked with the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, the Timberwolves were not interested in giving up either Anthony Edwards or Karl-Anthony Towns to seal the deal.
The Nets are currently considered one of the favorites to win the title because Durant decided to stay. Many believe the Nets have an incredible roster, and only time will tell how far they will go during the 2022-23 campaign.