Thoughts on the Latest KD Drama
Okay I guess I will talk about Kevin Durant.
I am not shocked by him asking out, and maybe that is part of the problem for me as a basketball fan. This was almost inevitable to me after seeing the Warriors win the title this season. And now I do not think the chips he won with them are moot. He was great for them. He won the MVP twice in the finals for a reason. He was an added weapon that made that iteration of the Warriors unbeatable, until they all got hurt except Steph.
I'm not a hater of KD's at all. That being said, the way he handles himself via social media or on TV is kind of wack. He is sensitive, and that is fine. I'm sensitive too. And I'm sure if millions of people lashed out at me on Twitter and what not I'd lose it from time to time. He loses it all the time. It is like he is on social media whenever he is not on a basketball court. I've been called out here and there, but I avoid it because I'm not glued to my phone. I think KD is glued to his. It has to be hard for him to go out and live a normal life because of his fame so I guess the phone and tv are his only real outlets. So I would imagine seeing all the people saying that this is Steph's first real ring or that they did it the hard way or that they don't need a stacked team that might have gotten to KD. And that is fine. If it makes him angry, that is totally normal.
KD is an incredible basketball player. Guys his size shouldn't be able to do what he does on a nightly basis. He is an all time great. But the Nets were swept in round one. Kyrie Irving is a nut job. James Harden looks like the smartest guy in the room now for wanting out. Steve Nash is not a very good coach. The supporting parts in Brooklyn just aren't championship quality. But I will say, this was all that KD and Kyrie wanted. They decided to go to the Nets together. They wanted Nash as the head coach. They wanted Deandre Jordan to play over Jarrett Allen. They were more than willing to let Caris Levert go. They urged the front office to sign guys like Blake Griffin. This was their design. This was their hand picked team. They chose and the front office gave them their every want. Then COVID happened. The Nets were going to be average in KD's first year since he wasn't going to play. Then he came back and was great again. And so was Kyrie. And they got Harden. All looked perfect. But then Kyrie wouldn't get vaxxed because he is a moron. That meant he couldn't play any home games. He was non-existent. Harden asked out because he knew he couldn't handle the load anymore. KD got hurt again. It was all just a mess.
This was a team that I picked to win the title this year, and I thought they would do it with ease. Instead they got swept pretty easily by Boston, another team that is built from within for the most part. And then KD had to watch the Warriors win it all. He saw them play Dallas in the West Finals, a team built within. He watched Boston beat Milwaukee in round 2. Milwaukee, minus Jrue Holiday, is a draft and process team. Boston beat Miami in the East Finals, and Jimmy Butler was a free agent signing, but that whole team is a culture. KD had to see all this and be extremely frustrated that his plan didn't work. He is uber talented, but when the guys you sign up to play with don't play, you get swept in round one. And now he wants out.
I don't know where he is going to end up, or if he gets traded at all. He signed a four year deal with no player option. He is in year two of the deal. Whatever team trades for him is on the books for three years at a big, big number. And I get the allure of trading for a guy like KD, I just don't know if it will be worth mortgaging the future of your team. The teams he wants to go to, like Miami, will not give up what Brooklyn will/should want. KD said he would go there only if Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo were still on the team. What does that leave Brooklyn with? Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and filler? No thank you. Philly is on his list. Who are they going to give up that will make Brooklyn stoked? They are not getting Joel Embiid or Harden. So that leaves parts like Matisse Thybulle, who isn't fully vaccinated, Tobias Harris who is past his prime and Tyrese Maxey. I like Maxey, but I do not know that he is ready to be the number one dude on a playoff team. Phoenix has been mentioned. I do like getting Deandre Ayton, Mikaail Bridges, Jae Crowder and picks, but why would Phoenix do that? Who does that leave them with? KD, Chris Paul and Devin Booker are a great Big 3, but the rest of that roster would be decimated.
I do want what is best for KD because I do really like him as a basketball player. He is amazing. He is an absolute joy to watch play the most beautiful game. But I just do not know what team is going to facilitate exactly what he wants and get a fair return. It just doesn't seem possible, especially after seeing what the Timberwolves gave up for Rudy Gobert, and KD is a far, far better player. Time will tell, but this is a messed up situation and the resolution seems way further off than us normal fans can even fathom. This is going to take some time and may not be solved until the season has started. We will see.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.