Kevin Durant Gives Ultimatum to Nets Owner Joe Tsai, per Report

Nets star Kevin Durant held a face-to-face meeting over the weekend in London with franchise owner Joe Tsai in which he reiterated his trade request, according to a report from The Athletic‘s Shams Charania.

In the meeting, Durant informed Tsai that he did not have faith in the team’s direction, and that Tsai needed to choose between Durant or general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash.

Durant, who is entering the first year of a four-year, $198 million contract extension he signed last summer, apparently wants a change of scenery.

The report from Charania also indicated that teams around the league are wondering whether Durant will sit out training camp if he’s not traded.

If Durant is traded, the Nets’ front office has expressed privately that the team plans to take “every last asset” from a team that trades for Durant, according to Charania.

The Celtics, Raptors and Heat reportedly remain the three most likely landing spots for Durant.

Durant, 33, will be entering his 15th NBA season in 2022–23 (not counting ’19–20, when he missed the season with an Achilles injury). The 12-time All-Star averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 55 games for Brooklyn last season.

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