Nearly two months after NBA megastar Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, it looks like the star will be back with the team next season after all.
On Tuesday morning, the Nets released a statement from general manager Sean Marks announcing that after conversations, all sides have “agreed to move forward with our partnership,” meaning that Durant will remain in Brooklyn.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 23, 2022
“Steve Nash and I, together with (Nets owner) Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday,” Marks said in a statement. “We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise and bring a championship to Brooklyn.”
This is certainly a change from earlier this month when Durant reiterated his trade request and issued Tsai an ultimatum, telling the team owner that he had to choose between Durant or or the pairing of Marks and Nash.
Regardless, it looks like after a tumultuous couple of weeks, Durant will be back with the Nets. And the NBA world had all sorts of reactions.
Yeah, there was no way whatsoever that any team was going to give Brooklyn what it wanted for KD or that the Nets would even say yes to a deal. The question now is if Kyrie sticks around. https://t.co/wa1igJM2iC
— Tim Bielik (@timbielik) August 23, 2022
This is like LeBron returning to Cleveland!! Exciting stuff. 😂😂 https://t.co/WGS5rkloua
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) August 23, 2022
Sorry but KD saying "nah never mind" after pissing off everyone in Brooklyn is hilarious. https://t.co/AbDzC4RqQ5
— Kate Feldman (@kateefeldman) August 23, 2022
Well, that was certainly a nice few weeks of diversion.
As you were, folks https://t.co/MfYyGrR2Xc
— Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) August 23, 2022
If we assume Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons are all generally available this season (big assumption, I know), the Nets could be REALLY good. https://t.co/5h0mAZtDtJ
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) August 23, 2022
The Durant news comes just one day after a report that the Nets were also planning to keep star point guard Kyrie Irving, despite previous trade rumors. So it looks like Brooklyn will be keeping its team mostly together, after all.
