Kevin Durant remaining with Nets following trade drama will come to an conclusion as sides ‘agree to shift ahead with our partnership’

Instantly, the dust settled and the drama came to an end, and the Nets returned to their write-up as championship contenders — if not favorites.

The Nets declared in a joint statement with Kevin Durant’s media firm Boardroom that the celebrity forward and his agent, Loaded Kleiman, sat down and came to an agreement with Nets owner Joe Tsai, basic manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash in Los Angeles on Monday.

“We have agreed to go ahead with our partnership,” Marks wrote in a statement. “We are concentrating on basketball with just one collective target in brain: create a long lasting franchise to deliver a championship to Brooklyn.”

In other words, Durant continues to be a Net, and the Nets stay a reputable risk to win an NBA championship.

That chance — a championship in Brooklyn — hung in jeopardy as Durant twice requested a trade in the aftermath of Kyrie Irving’s contract negotiations, discussions that led to Irving opting into the closing yr of his agreement really worth $36.5 million this upcoming period as opposed to inking a new extended-term agreement that gives him protection in Brooklyn. Durant formally requested a trade on June 30, then fulfilled with Tsai in London two months back and advised the Nets governor to either trade him or fire both of those Marks and Nash.

Tsai instantly tweeted assist for his entrance office and coaching staff, generating an deadlock. The Nets also remained unwilling to take pennies on the greenback for any Durant offer, and Durant — at least at the time — remained steadfast in his motivation to go away Brooklyn.

The greatest presents from the Celtics, Pelicans, Suns and Raptors never included the respective team’s greatest participant, and the Nets in no way wavered on their stance of seeking an All-Star, various position players and draft payment in trade for a top-5 player.

And now we’re right here: Individuals interested functions had a finite volume of time to improve their offers. The Pelicans by no means desired to consist of Brandon Ingram in a deal for Durant the Celtics reportedly made available Jaylen Brown but refused to include Marcus Good or Robert Williams the Warmth could not involve Bam Adebayo because he and Ben Simmons are each signed to the identical rookie max extension and the CBA stops groups from buying and selling for two players who have signed this sort of a deal and the Suns by no means created Devin Booker obtainable and could not trade Deandre Ayton following he signed an supply sheet with the Indiana Pacers.

It all worked in the Nets’ favor, mainly because the most effective-situation scenario for the two Brooklyn and Durant was a reunion at Barclays Heart.

Two seasons back, the Nets knocked on the door of a championship, only to have that doorway slammed shut in a next-round decline to the Milwaukee Bucks right after Irving’s ankle injury and James Harden’s damage hamstring. Nevertheless, Durant strike a single of the biggest pictures in franchise history –— a turnaround buzzer-beater that would have despatched Milwaukee residence in Game 7 had Durant’s foot not touched the 3-point line.

Final period, the Nets never stood a opportunity: COVID-19 battered their roster, Joe Harris experienced a period-ending damage in November, Irving hardly ever bought vaccinated and didn’t play a video game till January, Harden received disappointed and asked for a trade, and Ben Simmons arrived in the Harden offer and hardly ever played a video game due to the fact of lingering back again difficulties.

Now, the Nets operate it back again. Simmons has reportedly at last superior to three-on-three work and is on plan to be fully balanced for teaching camp soon after undergoing a again course of action this offseason. Irving is on a one particular-year deal and will have to be inspired to confirm he justifies the complete 5-calendar year truly worth an surplus of $250 million. And Durant continue to reigns supreme as 1 of basketball’s very best gamers, even if he struggled to impose his will from the league’s finest defense in Boston in the course of very last season’s to start with-round sweep.

Durant returns to a roster that has been enhanced, but still requirements perform. Marks traded a to start with-round decide on and a trade exception to the Utah Jazz for vaunted 3-and-D wing Royce O’Neale. He also signed well-recognized scorer TJ Warren to a minimum amount offer, nevertheless a nagging foot personal injury has kept Warren off the ground for each individual of the earlier two seasons. The Nets also additional athletic guard Edmond Sumner, who is also coming off a leg injuries.

Marks also re-signed the two Patty Mills and Nic Claxton to new two-yr deals. The Nets also have their mid-level exception readily available to indicator free brokers. With Durant reaffirming his motivation to continue to be in Brooklyn, the totally free agent current market just opened again up for small business.

And so did Las Vegas, due to the fact the Nets are now back again as legitimate championship contenders and Durant’s existence on the roster provides them a possibility to win any activity, any night time.

The thoughts have been answered. The drama has come to an finish. As training camp looms in late September, the Nets can now focus on basketball, on earning these pieces in good shape, and on successful games due to the fact as talented as this crew has been for each of the previous two seasons, they only have a person playoff sequence victory to present.

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