Kevin Durant Looks Set to Stay at Brooklyn Nets After Reaching ‘Move Forward’ Agreement
The will he, won’t he saga surrounding Kevin Durant’s future at the Brooklyn Nets may be nearing a conclusion. There had been concerns that the 12-time NBA All-Star pick had been looking to leave the Barclays Center, with some pointing to a breakdown in the relationship between the franchise’s top player and their general manager and head coach.
Now the Nets have released a statement that announces their intention to move forward together, seemingly confirming that not only will Durant stay in Brooklyn but that general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash are also going nowhere.
Fans of the Brooklyn Nets, who are no doubt excited by Durant’s decision to stay, are no doubt now considering backing their team to have a strong campaign in 2022/23 and therefore finding the best sports betting in NY would certainly aid their potential bets on Steve Nash’s team.
Last year was a challenging one for everyone connected to the Nets, and though they were the favorites with most sportsbooks when the season got underway, they finished the regular season with a mediocre 44-38 regular season record before being dumped out by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the play-offs in four games.
As for why Durant was considering leaving the Nets, some sources believe it’s connected to the manner in which he feels his team-mate, Kyrie Irving, was treated by the franchise, but if he remains, then on the face of it, a team that features the former NBA MVP, Irving and Ben Simmons could be in the running to turn things around.
On the matter of building any busted bridges, Marks commented;
“Steve Nash and I, together with Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday. We have agreed to move forward with our partnership,”
“We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn.”
The change of heart that Durant appears to have had is certainly one that’s been welcomed by his team-mates, as evidenced by comments from center Nic Claxton;
“It’s exciting knowing he’s coming back on board with us,”
“I feel like we’re going to have a really, really good group. So we’ve just got to get everybody together and lock in.”
Despite the Nets’ average season, Durant was as consistent as ever and is by some distance the most important member of Steve Nash’s roster, and therefore securing him ahead of the coming season is hugely important.
The speculation that Durant has sought to have Marks and Nash fired may be something of a stumbling block that could take a while to get past, but if the season starts well, then all of this could prove to be nothing more than a sour memory.
On the playing side of things, the Nets are solid, and they’ll just hope that they let their collective talents do the talking rather than getting swept up in any off-court issues that may still need some airing out.