Kevin Durant tells Nets owner Joe Tsai ‘fire coach Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks or trade me’

A little more than a month after first asking for a trade from the Nets, Kevin Durant has reportedly reiterated that request to team owner Joe Tsai with one major caveat: He’ll stay in Brooklyn if head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks are jettisoned instead.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania has reported that Durant recently met with Tsai on Saturday in London and told the billionaire that he has no faith in the direction of the team.

The specific reasons for Durant’s dissatisfaction remain unclear, at least publicly, but Charania reports that the Nets have ‘direct knowledge’ of the details. Durant was previously blamed by some for the exit of former Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, who mutually parted ways with the organization in 2020, although it remains unclear if he had a hand in that decision. 

Team spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

Durant’s Nets were swept in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last season by the Boston Celtics, who have since reportedly offered All-Star Jaylen Brown in exchange for Brooklyn’s disgruntled superstar forward. Durant still has $198 million and four years remaining on his contract, while Brown has two seasons and $56 million left on his.

Durant’s future in Brooklyn has been complicated by the situation with his current Nets teammate, Kyrie Irving, who opted into the final year and $37 million of his contract to stay with the team, but is rumored to be pushing for his own exit.

The crosstown rival New York Knicks as well as the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, as well as the Philadelphia 76ers would be interested in acquiring Irving, according to various reports.

Celtics star Jayson Tatum told reporters last month that he wants the reigning Eastern Conference champions’ core to stay intact.

‘I played with him during the Olympics,’ Tatum said when asked about Durant. ‘Obviously, he’s a great player. But that’s not my decision. I love our team. I love the guys we got.’

Brown has not commented on the report directly, but did tweet ‘SMH’ – the abbreviation for ‘shaking my head.’

While the Celtics’ reported interest only surfaced in late July, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Boston’s front office, led by Brad Stevens, had been in regular contact with Nets general manager Sean Marks for weeks prior. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has since reported that the Nets are not actively engaged in any trade discussions regarding Durant.

One potential obstacle to a deal is the Nets’ asking price for the 33-year-old Durant, who was tied for third in the NBA in scoring last season at 29.9 points per game.

According to Woj, the Nets want multiple unprotected first-round picks, pick swaps and several impactful players.

The demand is somewhat similar to the trade that brought Brown to Boston: Brooklyn’s 2013 acquisition of Celtics stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

The Nets, under general manager Billy King at the time, relinquished unprotected first-round picks in 2014, 2016 an 2018, as well as additional pick swaps, which allowed the Celtics to draft Brown and Tatum in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Brooklyn, meanwhile, managed one second-round playoff appearance in Pierce’s only season with the Nets.