When NBA Free Agency began on June 30th, Kevin Durant shocked the NBA by demanding a trade out of Brooklyn. Following two disappointing seasons filled with drama, it became clear that KD was fed up with it all. With Kyrie Irving doing as he pleases, it seemed like KD had no interest in trying to make things work. He has been known to run from situations in the past, and his trade request was yet another example of this.
At first, it seemed like the Nets were going to capitulate and do what KD asked. The team was fielding offers and they were trying to find the best trade package possible. In the end, the Nets realized that there is no package that would begin to compensate them for giving away Durant. This led to a meeting in which Durant gave the Nets an ultimatum: fire Sean Marks and Steve Nash, or trade me. Nets owner Joe Tsai responded to this by picking Nash and Marks’ side. Following this news, it seemed like a given that KD would be dealt somewhere else, but once again, the Nets flexed their power and decided not to make a deal.
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Once again, KD was forced to sit down with Nets management who essentially told him that he wields no power here. He signed a long-term deal that still has four years left on it. As a result, the Nets did not have to trade him, and in the end, KD acquiesced. Now, Durant has to play with the Nets for another season, regardless of whether or not he wants. Durant’s leverage ran out fast, and it has shown the league that superstars like KD don’t have as much power as they may have originally thought.
Perhaps it was a mistake for fans to think that KD had that much power, to begin with. In the era of player empowerment, there has been this sense that players can get what they want, whenever they want it. Sure, players have successfully requested trades in the past, however, they have never done so with four years left on their contract. When a player requests a trade and gets what they want, it usually happens with only a few years left on their deal. It also only works when there is another player of equal standing who also wants a trade. The perfect example of this is how Ben Simmons was only traded because James Harden was available. Had Harden not been available, the Sixers would have forced Simmons to stay.
This exact scenario can apply to Kevin Durant. There was no other superstar of equal value available, and as a result, the Nets took things into their own hands. The biggest miscalculation that Durant made here was thinking that he was just as powerful as someone like LeBron James.
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At this point in their careers, it’s pretty clear that KD is a better player than LeBron. LeBron will go down as the best player of all time, but in 2022, KD is simply more effective. Durant is easily one of the biggest superstars in the league and he is also the best player in the NBA, right now. Despite this, he can’t even get what he wants. The Nets wouldn’t even fire their head coach and general manager for him, which just goes to show how little power KD really has.
Now if we were to look at LeBron’s career, all you see are power moves. It all started in 2010 when James hosted “The Decision” and told the whole world he was going to Miami. While this damaged his reputation, he was the only player who could ever dream of hosting such an event. In terms of personnel and roster decisions, LeBron has always been instrumental in who he has around him. In his second stint with Cleveland, he went through numerous coaches, and helped bring in stars like Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, and eventually, Dwyane Wade. For better or for worse, LeBron has always had the power to influence. If LeBron tells a GM to trade a player, you can expect the trade to happen very quickly.
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Since coming to the Lakers, this trend has remained true. LeBron helped bring in Anthony Davis and in many ways, he hand-picked the supporting cast that ultimately helped the Lakers win the NBA title in 2020. More recently, he convinced Rob Pelinka to trade for Russell Westbrook, which as we now know, was a big mistake.
Just a week ago, the Lakers told LeBron that they were committed to trading their future for him, as long as he signed a two-year contract extension. Yet again, LeBron’s power is on full display here. It is the type of power that other NBA stars could only dream of having, including KD. When Durant demanded that trade with four years left on his deal, he thought he was about to pull off a LeBron-level power move. In the end, he was reminded that the men who sign the paychecks still yield most of the power.
Sure, a player can leave the team that drafted them if things are not going their way. But when it comes down to it, teams will always operate within their best interests. When it comes to LeBron, however, teams operate within the best interests of LeBron, and that is what separates him from the KDs, the Ben Simmons’, and even the Giannis’ of the NBA.
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