Kevin Durant to stay with Brooklyn Nets and withdraws trade request

In a shocking turn of events, Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant will remain with the team for the foreseeable future after crunch talks with the front office and coaching staff in Los Angeles.

Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks released a statement on Tuesday morning which confirmed Durant’s commitment to the franchise alongside owner Joe Tsai and head coach Steve Nash.

pic.twitter.com/wQfhrKqUeM

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 23, 2022

Durant had originally submitted a trade request at the end of June when it appeared that Kyrie Irving was also set to depart Brooklyn, however after opting in to his player option for 2022-23 it set the tone for what was to come.

Teams such as the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors and Phoenix Suns were named as potential suitors to land Durant, but none were willing to pay the extraordinary asking price set by Sean Marks.

Reports had surfaced some weeks ago that the 33-year-old handed owner Joe Tsai an ultimatum – fire Sean Marks and Steve Nash or his trade request would remain.

The Nets have reached a solution and will run it back next season following an embarrassing 4-0 defeat in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of Ime Udoka’s Boston Celtics.

The Nets are running it back:

Kyrie
Harris
Durant
Simmons
Claxton

Bench:
Mills
Curry
O’Neal
Thomas
Warren

A top ___ seed in the East. pic.twitter.com/khNSfoec0c

— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 23, 2022

Sean Marks said: “We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn.”

The Nets will remain one of the title favourites ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, opening their season against Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram’s New Orleans Pelicans on October 19.