Less than 48 hours after reports revealed that Kevin Durant had requested the Nets front office for a trade out of Brooklyn, the superstar forward broke his silence on the matter on social media.
“The ones who were locked in that gym with me know what it is, they know what I’m about. If u haven’t been in there with me, ask around,” Durant wrote on Twitter Saturday morning.
The tweet marks the first time that Durant has commented publicly since the stunning news broke on Thursday that he had asked for a trade. His final landing spot remains unknown at the time, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the 12-time All-Star reportedly has two preferred destinations for next season: Phoenix and Miami.
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Although the prospect of one of the game’s best players being traded is entertaining, actually striking a deal will prove logistically difficult for both sides. Durant still has four years left on his contract extension with the Nets, which will pay him a total of $198 million in the coming seasons and is a hefty price to pay for any team hoping to bring the two-time Finals MVP aboard.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, Brooklyn has also set a high asking price for Durant and doesn’t seem willing to budge at this stage of negotiations.
“Brooklyn’s asking price, rival executives familiar with the situation told Sports Illustrated, is steep: two All-Star caliber talents and a cache of draft picks,” Mannix wrote. “If a team doesn’t have that, one exec said, the response has been ‘well go out and get it.’”
Durant, who will turn 34 this September, is still one of the most productive players in the league. In his last two seasons with the Nets, the star forward averaged 28.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.
Despite his individual success, Durant was never able to power Brooklyn to the ultimate goal of a championship. Once seen as the favorites in the East during the 2021–22 campaign, the star-studded Nets were eventually swept in the first round by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Celtics.
