NBA Rumors: Kevin Durant might hold out of Brooklyn Nets training camp if he doesn't get traded
The sweepstakes for Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant are on after a meeting between KD and Nets' owner Joe Tsai last week. In the meeting, it was reported that Durant reiterated his stance of wanting to be traded from the Nets ahead of the 2022-23 season.
However, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the fiasco between the franchise and the player could take a turn for the worse when training camp begins next month. Windhorst reported that Kevin Durant could very well start sitting out of training camp to force the franchise's hand into trading him. Windhorst stated:
"A week ago, if you had asked me, 'Will Kevin Durant hold out of training camp if he is not traded?’ I would have been like, ‘eh, I can’t see it.' Now I can see it. That is what we are headed towards."
The likelihood of Durant forcing Brooklyn's hands by skipping training camp is a possibility as many superstars have done it in the past, like Anthony Davis and Ben Simmons. KD's teammate Simmons is the perfect example as the Australian barely partook in the training camp of the Philadelphia 76ers last year citing mental health issues and injury trouble.
The Brooklyn Nets currently have the leverage as KD has four years left on his deal with no player-option. However, should KD start acting out by not showing up for training camp, then the Nets could be cornered into making a trade.
"A week ago, if you had asked me, 'will Kevin Durant hold out of training camp if he's not traded?' I would have been like, 'I can't see it.' Now I can see it. That is what we're headed towards."
— @WindhorstESPN
https://t.co/Zhjx1LfO2X
Brooklyn Nets are in trouble if Durant sits out training camp
Kevin Durant possibly sitting out training camp is becoming a real possibility as there is still no trade on the horizon. The likes of the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns are all teams hoping to trade for the two-time Finals MVP but have yet to offer a package that the Brooklyn Nets like.
Should KD start skipping training camp, this will lead to issues regarding his salary. KD missing training camp will bring out the Collective Bargaining Agreement which reads that a player missing practice without a reasonable excuse will get fined from $2500 onwards. The number increases by $2500 every time until the fourth such offense.
Despite the loss, Kevin Durant still scored enough to reach 25,000 career points Sunday.
LeBron James is the only active player that reached the feat faster than him.
Carmelo Anthony completes the trio as the only 3 active players with 25,000 points. https://t.co/gQgaqWDL96
Kevin Durant is supposed to receive 25% of his salary for the upcoming season on October 1. If Durant still does not show up for training camp, then the Brooklyn Nets could very well put this chunk of his salary in an escrow account until things are sorted out. This is what happened to Ben Simmons and the whole process was drawn out for months.
KD, on the other hand, has always focused on just playing the game and avoiding controversy. However, desperate times for calls for desperate measures.