DALLAS – The Dallas Mavericks and the NBA represent a constantly-in-motion news cycle … and DallasBasketball.com, powered by Sports Illustrated, is here to chronicle it for you — trade rumors, reports, speculation and much more from the 2022 -23 season.
AUG 15 KD LEVERAGE PLAY WITH NETS?
So far, the Kevin Durant trade saga has been civil … but that could be changing with NBA training camps being a little more than a month away. Despite Durant demanding a trade six weeks ago, the Brooklyn Nets’ front office has been in no rush to make things happen.
In Durant’s most recent visit with Nets owner Joe Tsai about a week ago, he reiterated his desire to be traded, but also gave an ultimatum that was essentially, “either trade me or fire coach Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks.” After that news surfaced, Tsai responded by sending out this tweet:
In theory, it would be in the Nets’ best interest to keep Durant, who still has four years remaining on his contract, given that trade offers from opposing teams haven’t been as extraordinary as expected. However, Durant apparently has no intentions of changing his mind on wanting to leave Brooklyn, and things could get ugly if he doesn’t get his wish in the next month.
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According to NBA reporter Marc Stein, many around the league are bracing for Durant to cause a “ruckus behind the scenes.”
“During the summer league in Las Vegas, one of the most well-connected team executives I spoke to regularly insisted to me that, based on what he was hearing, Kevin Durant was more apt to retire than play again for the Brooklyn Nets,” Stein wrote in his Monday newsletter.
“I told the tipster that I simply couldn’t believe that. I was a loyal subscriber to the theory that Durant The Hooper loves playing basketball way too much to adopt such a stance.
“Now? More than a month later? Attaching the R-word to Durant still comes across as serious hyperbole, but it is certainly getting easier to envision him refusing to report to training camp when the Nets get back together in six weeks for Media Day (Sept. 26) and their first practices of the new season (Sept. 27).”
The Dallas Mavericks don’t appear to have nearly enough assets to get their foot in the door when it comes to a Durant trade, but the domino effect following his potential exit from Brooklyn could affect Dallas.
Grab your popcorn and enjoy the show!
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