“You just show up at camp and accept the L?” - Brian Windhorst believes Kevin Durant's appearance at training camp would be raising white flag after Nets’ aggressive posturing
Kevin Durant has put himself in a tough position after the Brooklyn Nets took an aggressive stance against his trade request and ultimatum. A training camp appearance could be read as accepting a loss to the organization, but a holdout at his age may not be what Durant wants, either.
ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst said:
“You just show up at the camp and accept the L?”
Will Kevin Durant show up to training camp?
Kevin Durant's appearance at training camp would read as the player raising a white flag, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
Durant’s trade request was met with immediate resistance from the Nets. They have not budged on KD’s value to make him happy and let him go, making it clear they want the full pop if he is breaking his contractual promise.
Owner Joe Tsai probably wants the most out of his investment, and a four-year, $193 million contract is something he'd want to protect. Yet, Tsai staying true to general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash over Durant also makes sense. Gutting the upper echelon of the organization for a player under a four-year stint is arguably not worth it.
That is where Durant's tough stance comes in.
Putting up this stand and denying Durant now puts KD in a tough spot.
“At this point, I mean, with this aggressive posture, I think it makes it hard for him to come to camp, because if he comes to camp he’s kind of raising the white flag,” Windhorst said.
So, will Kevin raise his flag, walk into camp with his head down and take the loss? Or will he choose to sit, costing himself precious playing time?
At 34 years old when the season beins, some argue there may only be four or so more years in Durant’s career. With that, Kevin simply may not want to waste his time in Brooklyn, where nothing has proven fruitful.
Regardless of KD's reasoning, though, Brooklyn is making it as hard as possible for Durant to command the lead in the situation.
Tsai and the Nets have maintained a dominant amount of control throughout.
As a result, Brooklyn has shown the rest of the league that it will not let players control the organization no matter their status.
If Durant goes into camp, he is basically surrendering to Tsai. If he does not show up, he is surrendering himself to sitting out of the game he loves.
This is a tough landing spot for Durant.