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Kevin Durant demanded a trade from the Brooklyn Nets until Tuesday, when the team announced his focus moving forward will be with his current squad.
Before that, a whirlwind of speculation about where Durant would land dominated the NBA world – he is still one of the best scorers in the league at 33 years old. But one particular NBA peer took exception to Durant just changing his mind and dismissing everything the Nets and their fan base went through the past few months.
Patrick Beverley, the 34-year-old point guard who currently plays for the Utah Jazz, spoke his mind on Twitter.
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Patrick Beverley, #21 of the LA Clippers, looks back at a smiling Kevin Durant, #35 of the Golden State Warriors, during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
"Yal can sit and don’t say nothing but that ain’t cool. It’s dudes with families out here who haven’t got a job because of this KD s---. And to be on and off ain’t cool. Blessing Gang," he tweeted Tuesday.
Being the Twitter aficionado that he is, Durant responded by simply saying: #BLAMEKD.
And being one that never shies away from some trash talk, Beverley responded himself:
In his statement, Nets general manager Sean Marks said that, along with owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, and head coach Steve Nash, a meeting with Durant and his agent, Rich Kleiman, took place in Los Angeles on Monday.
"We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focused on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn."
Despite requesting a trade, Durant never had any leverage on the Nets after signing a four-year extension worth $194.22 million heading into this season. He even reportedly gave Tsai an ultimatum to either trade him or fire Marks and Nash. Tsai would go on to back his front office and coaching staff.
Kevin Durant, #7 of the Brooklyn Nets, drives as Andre Drummond, #0 of the Brooklyn Nets, defends during Game Four of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Barclays Center on April 25, 2022 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
SHAQ SOUNDS OFF ON KEVIN DURANT'S LEADERSHIP: ‘YOU DON’T WANT TO MAKE IT WORK'
"Our front office and coaching staff have my support," Tsai said then. "We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets."
Durant requested the trade after the Boston Celtics swept Brooklyn out of the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
Kevin Durant of Brooklyn Nets warms up before NBA playoffs between Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn of New York City, United States on April 25, 2022. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
It was all for nothing at the end of the day, as Durant and Kyrie Irving, who has had his own quarrels with the Nets recently, remain with the club. Ben Simmons, who was traded for last season but did not suit up for one game as he dealt with a back injury, looks to make his debut alongside his fellow All-Stars in the 2022-23 campaign as well.
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Durant, a four-time scoring champion, averaged 29.9 points to lead the Nets last season with 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists.