"This was the last act of a desperate man who knows his bluff has been called" - Skip Bayless believes Kevin Durant is losing leverage against Brooklyn Nets as time passes
No trade is imminent for Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant. His meeting with Nets owner Joe Tsai in London last week shed new light on the situation. On "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," Skip Bayless said this is a massive hole that KD is digging himself. Bayless believes that given the quality and talent in the league, the Nets can't win more by trading Durant.
"I still believe Kevin Durant is the best player on the planet. I still say he is remarkably, astonishingly, all-time valuable commodity that you cannot get in return for, you cannot get Kevin Durant back. But I must admit to you, Kevin Durant is looking worse and worse by the minute," Bayless said.
"He is backing him self deeper and deeper into a corner he will not be able to flail out of. This was the last act of a desperate man who knows his bluff has been called by Joe Tsai and those upstairs for the Brooklyn Nets, and he realizes he is losing all if it not most of his leverage."
The two-time NBA champion does not hold any leverage in this situation due to the four years remaining on his contract. KD signed a four-year, $190 million deal last year that expires in the summer of 2026.
.@RealSkipBayless on KD reportedly demanding the Nets choose between him or the GM & Steve Nash:
"I believe the Nets will dig in and not trade KD. Someone's got to stand up and say no to a superstar." https://t.co/GaRA9QeSAJ
What can Kevin Durant do to force a trade?
In the meeting with owner Joe Tsai, Kevin Durant tried to force a trade by offering an ultimatum to Joe Tsai. Durant wanted the Nets to fire Sean Marks and Steve Nash or trade him. Marks is the general manager, and Nash is the head coach. Tsai immediately tweeted his support for them.
Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.
This tweet means that the only card KD is yet to play is sitting out training camp. The Nets are scheduled to start their pre-season training next month. KD may sit out of training camp to force the issue.
However, as we saw with Ben Simmons last season, this could end up causing problems for KD. Players are fined $2500 for the first training session they miss, which increases to $5000 for their second offense and so on.
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Another issue is that if Durant isn't traded and continues to sit out, his salary will be put in escrow until he shows up.