Kevin Durant has no plans on retiring from the NBA.
After a report surfaced earlier Monday morning that the future Hall of Famer might retire rather than suit up for the Brooklyn Nets this upcoming season, Durant took to Twitter to flat out deny those rumors, calling the situation “comical.”
“I know most people will believe unnamed sources over me but if it’s anyone out there that’ll listen, I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon,” wrote Durant. “S*** is comical at this point.”
NBA insider Marc Stein wrote on his Substack that an anonymous NBA executive told him during the Summer League that Durant was “more apt to retire than play for the Brooklyn Nets.” Stein also added, “there is a growing expectation in league circles that he will continue trying to cause as much of a ruckus behind the scenes to try to prod the Nets into lowering their asking price at last to facilitate a deal.”
While Durant denied the part about retiring, he never said he was going to suit up for the Nets in 2022.
The former NBA MVP requested a trade from Brooklyn on June 30, reiterating that sentiment to that owner Joseph Tsai last week, giving him an ultimatum: either he goes or head coach Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks go.
Tsai has sided with and gave his full support to the front office and coaching staff in a tweet.
With Nets training camp beginning at the end of September, it still remains unclear where Durant will land. If the franchise continues to seek a massive haul for the superstar forward, it may be a while before KD finds a new home.
Even if a deal doesn’t get done before the start of the year, it’s hard to imagine Durant will participate in the team’s activities.
