“Magic Johnson did it 40 years ago… LeBron was implying it about Spoelstra” - Nick Wright says superstars asking for the coach to be fired is rare, says KD knows he’s asking for something he won’t get
Kevin Durant's most recent request is shocking, to say the least. While Nick Wright acknowledged that it was a rare ask, he said that Durant knows he will not get it.
After going a month without being traded, Durant took it upon himself to effect a change. He requested a meeting with Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai to discuss his future.
The vet @SteveBHoop reports that Kevin Durant will meet soon with Nets owner Joe Tsai to discuss the state of Brooklyn's response to Durant's trade request. The Nets declined to comment on the report when I asked them this afternoon.
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Sports analyst Chris Broussard hoped that Durant would rescind his trade request, just like Kobe Bryant did in 2007. However, he could not have been further from reality, as KD gave Tsai an ultimatum instead.
The four-time scoring champ reportedly said that the only way he would stay with the Nets is if general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash are fired. Players have tried to force their way out through several means, but not many have asked for changes in the front office or the coaching staff.
On "What's Wright? With Nick Wright," Wright gave examples of players who once demanded for their coach to be fired, including Magic Johnson and LeBron James.
"I don't know that Kevin Durant actually wants these guys fired," Wright said. "He's a smart guy. If he wanted these guys fired, the way to go about that is back in July instead of demanding a trade. Go to Joe Tsai and say, 'Hey, fire them or I will demand a trade,' and keep that private, right?
"Instead, he has gone about it in a way that leads me to believe he asked for something that he knows he's not going to get. Asking for a head coach to be fired is not unprecedented, but it is still quite rare. I mean, Magic Johnson did it 40 years ago. we still remember it.
"Dwight Howard did it. We remember the Stan Van Gundy press conference. There were rumblings that Lebron was implying it about (Erik) Spoelstra and then just outright did it with David Blatt. But it is very rare that a superstar flatly says, 'Fire the coach.' It is damn near unprecedented that a superstar says, 'Fire the coach and the GM.'"
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Tsai has expressed his support for his front office and coaching staff. He also made it publicly known by sending out a tweet for all to see.
Nick Wright believes Kevin Durant is trying to make a return difficult
There has been chatter that KD might stay with the Nets for the new season. Trade talks have dwindled in recent weeks, with one of the factors being the Nets' asking price.
Wright said that the two-time NBA champ felt like everyone got relaxed and were not working to find a trade partner.
"I think KD was just escalating the situation to a place where bringing him back is unattainable, because there were some feelings across the league, 'They're not gonna trade him.'"
After saying that he doesn't know what makes Durant happy and that no team should want an unhappy KD, Wright said:
"I think the trade is going to happen. I think it's going to happen before the season begins. Will it happen before training camp? I don't know. But I do think it's going to happen."
There is still a lot of time before the start of the new season. However, the chances of seeing KD don a Nets uniform are starting to dwindle.