Kevin Durant is the co-star of the NBA’s most important off-season drama.
Adam Silver prefers it not to be.
The NBA commissioner held a press conference on Tuesday from the league owners ’meetings. He was asked directly about his thoughts on Durant’s commercial application with the entirety of his remaining $ 194 million four-year contract extension. He is not happy about it.
“I don’t know if he requested an exchange or asked for one, frankly,” Silver said. “This has to be a two-way street. Teams offer huge security and guarantees to players, and the expectation in return is that they meet their end of business.
“I’m realistic that there are always closed-door conversations between players and their representatives and teams. But we don’t like to see players asking for exchanges, and we don’t like to see them as they are.”
Kevin Durant wants to get out of Brooklyn. (Elsa / Getty Images)
Durant has a contract with the Nets until 2026 in an agreement he signed less than a year ago. Meanwhile, the Nets come from a historically disappointing season, and want to get out. On the one hand, it’s hard to blame him. James Harden is gone, Kyrie Irving is a disaster of a teammate and a Nets team that was expected to fight for years is shattering.
On the other hand, Durant has just signed his contract. Unlike the NFL, money is guaranteed and Nets owner Joseph Tsai is entitled to expect some sort of return on his investment. That’s the point Silver – whose job it is to represent the interests of the team’s owners – made on Tuesday. He told reporters that the issue will come up during the next round of collective bargaining talks with the players ’union.
“We intend to talk to our player association and see if there is a remedy for that,” Silver said.
While the problem is a debacle for the Nets and a headache for Silver, it’s not necessarily bad for the league. The NFL is king of staying in the headlines all year, but no one looks like the NBA at its peak.
But Silver, at least publicly, would prefer things to be a little less interesting.
“Ideally, basketball was great last season,” Silver said. … “I would love for the focus to be on the ground game.”