"Don't ever come into my office again and make ultimatums about who I should keep and who I should fire" - Frank Isola on strong message Nets owner Joe Tsai should’ve sent to Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is still a member of the Brooklyn Nets despite requesting a trade several weeks ago. The two-time Finals MVP is rumored to be interested in moving to the Miami Heat or the Phoenix Suns.
Kevin Durant met with owner Joe Tsai this week to discuss his future. It was reported that Durant offered an ultimatum to Joe Tsai; either get rid of general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash or trade him away.
Analyst Frank Isola had a strong opinion about how the meeting should have gone. On SiriusXM NBA radio, Isola said Joe Tsai should have made it clear that he would not be issued ultimatums by players.
"I'm going to say to him, 'We will do everything in our power to trade you but only if the deal is right for us. We are running a business here, we did what you wanted with James Harden.
"So, all our draft picks now belong to the Houston Rockets. But if you want to be traded, we will do everything we can, be prepared to show up for training camp because unless we get a deal we want, we're not making a deal. Is that understood?'
"And then Kevin Durant kind of nods and said, 'Alright, I'd appreciate if you did everything you could to get a deal.' 'Oh, and one last thing, don't ever come into my office again and make ultimatums about who I should keep and who I should fire, don't ever do that again,'" Isola said.
"Don't ever come into my office again and make ultimatums about who I should keep and who I should fire"
According to @TheFrankIsola, this is how Kevin Durant's meeting with Joe Tsai should've went https://t.co/fRKL0fPXRC
Where will Kevin Durant end up?
Kevin Durant's chances of securing a move away from the Brooklyn Nets are getting slimmer and slimmer as training camp approaches. The Phoenix Suns, one of Durant's preferred destinations, have essentially ruled themselves out after giving Deandre Ayton a contract extension. Ayton cannot be traded until January of next year.
The Miami Heat and the Toronto Raptors are two teams that could potentially compile a trade package for Durant. However, neither of them have an All-Star to include in the deal.
Despite the loss, Kevin Durant still scored enough to reach 25,000 career points Sunday.
LeBron James is the only active player that reached the feat faster than him.
Carmelo Anthony completes the trio as the only 3 active players with 25,000 points. https://t.co/gQgaqWDL96
The Boston Celtics have also emerged as contenders in the sweepstakes for Durant. However, they will have to part ways with Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart as the Nets won't entertain a trade without the latter.
This means that Kevin Durant is unlikely to find a landing spot in the offseason. For now, he will have to tuck his tail between his legs and report to training camp for the Brooklyn Nets.