Kevin Durant is reportedly not budging on his desire to be traded, with Brooklyn Nets owners throwing their support behind an embattled backroom staff.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, Durant told owner Joe Tsai that it was either he or the duo of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash who would have to leave the team.
Tuesday morning, Tsai declared his loyalty to Marks and Nash on social media.
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“Our front office and coaching staff have my support,” he said.
“We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.”
Tsai became the owner of the Nets in 2019, after initially buying a stake in the team from former owner Mikhail Prokhorov two years prior.
Whatever happens next, there’s no arguments that Durant would likely fetch the largest trade haul in the history of the NBA.
The 33-year-old has four years remaining on his $284 million contract, and remains one of the best players in the league.
Both Durant and fellow All-Star Kyrie Irving have expressed their disdain at the backroom staff, as the Nets struggled to an embarrassing playoff sweep to the Boston Celtics last season.
According to the New York Post, a team source said that “Kyrie Irving hates these guys”, and that “he feels that Nash is terrible and Marks is bad”.
New Zealand native Marks, 46, became general manager of the team in 2016, while Nash joined the team as head coach in 2020.
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