“What you tried to pull put in jeopardy everything that the players and the players association has worked for” - NBA analyst believes Kevin Durant’s trade request could have consequences in the next CBA
Kevin Durant is set to return to the Brooklyn Nets for the upcoming season. After requesting a trade from the Nets in late June, Durant and the Brooklyn front office on Tuesday announced their decision to "move forward" together.
However, Durant's trade request, made so rapidly after signing an extension, continued a bad trend around the NBA. On ESPN's "First Take," analyst Stephen A. Smith said:
"What you tried to pull put in jeopardy everything that the players and the players association has worked for spanning decades, because when you don't operate under a contractual agreement with the integrity that it's required, you hurt the game."
Tuesday's mutual decision is the product of a trade market that lacked traction for the Nets. While Durant had plenty of teams lining up for a trade, the situation made things difficult. The superstar forward still has four years remaining on his contract after signing a lengthy extension a year ago. To say that Brooklyn and the NBA world was shocked by KD's trade request would be an understatement.
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Kevin Durant returning to Brooklyn Nets after requesting trade
The ability of the Brooklyn Nets organization to stand its ground on Kevin Durant's trade request could have ramifications around the league. Often recently, players have signed contract extensions only to turn around and demand a trade before the extension even begins.
As ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith said, it happened with Durant's teammate, Ben Simmons, while with the Philadelphia 76ers. Brooklyn didn't panic as it remained calm and waited to see if any team would match its asking price.
For now, it looks as if Durant will return for the season after the parties announced that they have come to an agreement to work together.
After an offseason in which it looked like Durant and teammate Kyrie Irving could both be on the move, it looks as if that situation has cooled down.
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The Kevin Durant trade discussions are over, the Nets say. He’s under contract for four years. twitter.com/brooklynnets/s…
Brooklyn has one of the league's most talented rosters, especially now that Durant and Irving are back. Durant is a 12-time All-Star and won two titles with the Golden State Warriors. Irving is a seven-time All-Star who won the 2016 title with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After a previous season that was a rollercoaster of dramatic events, time will tell if the Nets can stay the course and contend for an NBA championship.