— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 23, 2022
This was the summer when the Nets’ entitled superstars acted out, and then got hit with reality.
Kyrie Irving realized he had no choice but to opt in if he wanted $37 million. And now Kevin Durant has learned you cannot bulldoze your way out of town a year after you sign a four-year contract extension.
So they’ll run it back. THIS LEAGUE!
The Nets did their best to spin things as a mutual success with the above statement. But let’s be clear: Durant lost this battle. He demanded a trade, he demanded the jobs of general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash and then he backed down. Because he had no other option. The Nets had all the leverage. Durant’s deal allowed them to ask for the moon in return in any deal. And that type of package just was not possible. So owner Joe Tsai stood his ground. Same as with Irving. It was either take the Nets or take the mid-level exception with the Lakers.
Don’t start planning the parade with Ben Simmons quite yet though. We give the Nets a few more months at most before the drama starts cranking again. If that. You just know Irving is going to pull some stunt at some point. And Simmons hasn’t played in over a year. You figure Nets have maybe one more run before this all blows up for good in epic fashion.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com
