“People are gonna say he had to hitch his boat or hitch his game to somebody else’s” - Jalen Rose believes Kevin Durant knows that his legacy will be questioned if he leaves Brooklyn
Much has been said about Kevin Durant's trade request this summer due to his failure to win a championship with the Brooklyn Nets. Jalen Rose believes his potential departure will make people question his legacy.
Durant has played three seasons with the Nets and is looking to move on from the team. Before free agency began, he requested for a trade despite his friend and teammate Kyrie Irving opting into his player option with Brooklyn.
The NBA has been at a standstill since Durant's request. Although teams have indicated an interest in the four-time scoring champ, the Nets have not found an enticing enough offer.
KD gave the NBA community something to talk about again, as he went on Twitter to talk about "legacy." Many have argued that his not winning a title independent of the Golden State Warriors will affect his legacy, and he is making a joke of it.
Kevin Durant tweeted:
"Did u add to your legacy today? If so, what did u do?"
Did u add to your legacy today? If so, what did u do?
However, Rose is glad that KD is listening. On "Jalen & Jacoby," he talked about how leaving Brooklyn will affect Durant’s legacy.
"Well, his overall legacy is gonna have him be one of the top 20 NBA players of all time. An elite scorer who flirted with 50/40/90, and revolutionalized in a lot of ways what you expect from a 6'11 player who's a knockdown shooter, who can get his own shot off the dribble."
Rose continued:
"The one thing about hopping on Twitter and responding to people, that means you're listening. And the one thing about KD his entire career, whether it's burner accounts when he was talking about Russell Westbrook, whether he was talking about the Oklahoma City franchise.
"It don't matter how he replies, you know that he's listening."
After talking about how championship rings do not buy happiness for a lifetime and talking about the Scottie Pippen disrespect, Rose added:
"When you leave OKC [Thunder] when you leave to go to the Golden State Warriors and y'all win championships, it's one thing to wear those rings. But unlike LeBron (James)."
He drew parallels between LeBron James' time at Cleveland with Kevin Durant's stint with Golden State:
"LeBron went back to Cleveland and as an all-time great player, he delivered because he knew everybody was gonna call him a ring chaser.
"When you go to the Warriors, and everybody acknowledges that you joined a 73-win team, and yes, you were the best player on two teams that won a championship. He knows he still has to go somewhere and be that dude to validate his all-time great legacy."
Rose concluded:
"Now, when people are talking about his legacy conversation, he knows, depending on where he goes, people are gonna say he had to hitch his boat, or he had to hitch his game to somebody else's in order to be all-time great in particular, a champion."
KD left the OKC Thunder in 2016, in what many see as the greatest betrayal in league history, to join the Warriors. He won two titles with the Dubs but has not gotten into the second round of the postseason since leaving in 2019.
Kevin Durant might start the 2022-23 season with the Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets will not be looking to give Kevin Durant away that easily, which means there is a high chance he will start next season with them. So far, no team has been able to meet the Nets' asking price.
KD is an incredible talent, which means the trade package needs to be enticing. The Nets are reportedly looking to get All-Star caliber players in return, coupled with several draft picks.
Although Durant listed the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat as preferred destinations, neither team has been able to agree on a deal with the Nets. An NBA executive believes a Suns package, which could include Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, as well as five picks, will not be insufficient.
Stepping inside the Kevin Durant-Deandre Ayton offseason vortex @BR_NBA: bleacherreport.com/articles/10041…
If no team meets the Nets' demands, KD will have no option other than playing out the first of his four-year extension with the Nets. However, if he's in Brooklyn when the next season begins, they could try to part ways again during the February deadline.
“My best guess…he’s not going to be traded. You can’t give enough to get a guy like [Kevin Durant]”
Jerry West doesn’t think the Nets will be trading KD #NetsWorld
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