“A player going to ownership and demanding a coach be fired is an earthquake-type moment” - Nick Wright believes Kevin Durant holding out on training camp will not be as shocking as his ultimatum
After weeks of silence, there have been new updates to the Kevin Durant saga. Monday, while meeting with Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai, Durant told Brooklyn to choose between him or general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash.
Since there has been little movement on a deal getting done, many believe Durant pulled this stunt in an attempt to regain leverage. However, Tsai took to Twitter to back up management later Monday.
Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.
Following the failed ultimatum, FS1's Nick Wright chimed in on the escalating situation on "First Things First." He thinks things are reaching a boiling point and would not be shocked if the 2013-14 MVP sits out of training camp.
"Everyone has just said Kevin Durant would never escalate this," Wright said. "He's escalated this pretty far. ... A player going to ownership and demanding a coach be fired is an earthquake type of moment.
"I couldn't find in recent NBA history a single other instance of it being reported that a player went to management and said I want the entire power strutcture out. That is far more shocking than a player not showing up for training camp."
"Everyone has said KD will never escalate this, but he's escalated this pretty far. A player going to ownership & demanding a coach be fired is an earthquake-type moment. KD did more than that. ...That's more shocking than a player not showing up for camp." — @getnickwright https://t.co/U7DTTTE6AL
Should Kevin Durant considering sitting out of training camp?
If Kevin Durant sits out of training camp, that wouldn't be shocking. However, it might not be in his best interest to do so.
The thing that makes this trade demand so different from others is the contract situation. KD is signed through the next four seasons and has no opt-outs. Because of this, the Nets hold all the leverage.
From the beginning, Brooklyn has made it clear that it is not budging from its high asking price in trade discussions. KD might think him sitting out of camp could help speed things up, but might do the opposite. If he tanks his trade value, the Nets can simply wait it out because he is under contract long term.
KD will instantly turn whatever team he ends up on into a title contender, and Brooklyn knows that. With this in mind, the Nets are in no rush to lower their price just to get a deal done. Since they have little to no draft capital, they need a lofty return to kickstart the next phase of the franchise.
Following Durant's standoff with the owner, a training camp holdout seems like his next move. Similar to the ultamatium he gave, it will likely have minimal effect on a deal happening any sooner.