Nets owner releases statement amid Kevin Durant report – newsdubai
Nets owner Joe Tsai broke his public silence on Kevin Durant‘s trade request Monday, takes to Twitter to deploy a staunch defense of the franchise’s front office and coaching staff.
“Our front office and coaching staff have my support,” Tsai wrote. “We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.”
Tsai’s brief statement comes on the heels of a face-to-face meeting with Durant over the weekend in London to discuss the star forward’s pending trade request. At the meeting, Durant reiterated his request to be moved out of Brooklyn, according to The athletic’s Shams Charania.
The 12-time All-Star reportedly informed Tsai that he had no confidence in the team’s direction and issued an ultimatum to the Nets owner, saying Tsai would have to choose between Durant or general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash.
Marks has served as Brooklyn’s general manager since February 2016, overseeing the signings of both Durant and Kyrie Irving ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. Nash was hired as the team’s coach in September 2020.
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Despite the superstar duo of Durant and Irving, the Nets have failed to live up to the lofty expectation of bringing a championship to Brooklyn. The Nets have posted an overall record of 92–62 over the past two seasons, but have not advanced past the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last season, they were eliminated by the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
The Celtics, Raptors and Heat are still considered the “most significant candidates” to acquire Durant, per Charania, but no team has been able to entice the Nets with an acceptable offer.
If Durant is traded, the Nets’ front office has privately expressed that the team plans to take “every last asset” from a team that trades for Durant, according to Charania.
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