Inside The Heat

Former Miami Heat Free Agency Target Kevin Durant Details Why He Requested A Trade In Offseason

Durant explains why he caused a stir during offseason with trade request

Shandel Richardson

Former Miami Heat Free Agency Target Kevin Durant Details Why He Requested A Trade In Offseason
Former Miami Heat Free Agency Target Kevin Durant Details Why He Requested A Trade In Offseason /
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When Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant requested a trade at the start of free agency in late June, the Miami Heat were immediately one of the favorite destinations. 

Durant eventually decided to remain in Brooklyn but he recently discussed why he was open to a trade in an interview with Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. 

"It wasn’t difficult at all to request a trade because it was about ball," Durant said to Bleacher Report. "I went to them and was like, ‘Yo, I don't like how we are preparing. I don't like shootarounds. I like practices. I need more. I want to work on more s--t. Hold me accountable. Get on my ass in film if that's going to help you get on everybody else’s head. I want to do more closeouts. I want to work on more shell drills at practice.’

The Heat were considered the frontrunners because the presence of team president Pat Riley, who lured LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade in Miami in 2010. That group led the Heat to two championships in four straight Finals appearances. 

The Nets have gotten off to a slow start this season and fired coach Steve Nash earlier this month. Durant said he was just frustrated by the lack of success. 

"This was the type of s--t I was coming at them with. It wasn't like, ‘Yo, y'all need to make sure everybody around me can make my life easier," Durant said.’ Hell nah, I want to make everybody else’s life easier. Ask Steve Nash, you can go call him right now. I would say, ‘Yo, I need more closeout drills. We need to practice more.’ That's what I was on."'

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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