Draymond Green Defends Kevin Durant’s Decision to Leave the Nets
More than a week ago, Kevin Durant requested that the Brooklyn Nets trade him. Many people have been swift to criticize his decision. His contract has four years remaining. Leaving the Nets now means leaving them in a lurch. But recently, his former teammate Draymond Green spoke up on his behalf, defending his decision (or at the very least, his right to make it). Let’s take a look at what he had to say.
Draymond Green Backs Up Kevin Durant in His Decision With Epic Take
In his podcast, Green said, “The whole narrative starts ‘KD is running from this’, ‘it gets hard, so he doesn’t stay’, and blah blah blah. I sat there and asked myself, ‘if KD did indeed request a trade, is that KD saying partially, I made a mistake?’”
He continues, “I answered the question for myself because obviously I am not going to ask Kevin that. I answered it for myself and I said ‘possibly yes, possibly no.’ But regardless, why does it matter? If Kevin Durant says I don’t want to be here anymore and go somewhere else, why does that make him weak? Why does that mean he’s running from something? I don’t understand that. Players are in control of their situation. Players are in control of their destiny. That’s the next step in his career.”
One of the reasons for the criticism is that this is not the first time Durant has done this. He also did it with the Golden State Warriors. Green goes on to make an analogy where he compares what Durant has done to a regular employee working a few years at one company, then going to another, then to another. He points out that such a person is not likely to be subjected to criticism for their actions. What they would have done would just seem normal.
Does Green have a point? Sure. But he is not necessarily correct that such an employee would receive no criticism. It really depends on what level they are at in those companies they keep leaving, and what sort of support and salary they received. At a certain level, yes, they will be criticized, just like Durant.
Naturally, the Nets cannot let go of Durant without receiving significant assets in return. As a result, there has yet to be any movement with respect to a trade. We expect the Nets will take their time. Playing this right is vital for the team’s future. Heck, the Nets may even drag this out to the trade deadline, or not trade Kevin Durant at all. The Nets have a competitive team on paper starring Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but also TJ Warren, Seth Curry, Joe Harris, and Ben Simmons to round out the roster. If the team remains healthy and gels, they would likely be competing with the Celtics for the best record in the East this upcoming season.
In other news, Devin Booker was officially revealed as the NBA 2k23 cover athlete for both the Standard and Digital Deluxe Editions. It’s been an incredible week for Booker as he also signed a four-year, $214 million supermax extension with the Suns and seven-year extension with Nike. Stay tuned at VGR to read more about the latest NBA 2k23 news, rumors, and pre-order information.