By Gio Gennero | Sports Writer
Seemingly the minute the offseason started, Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets began one of the most publicized back-and-forth’s in NBA history. With everything between trade requests and ultimatums, it was an ugly scene all summer. As of now, Durant rescinded his demands and will return to play for the Nets. If it stays as is, I believe this will lead to more attempts from NBA owners to reclaim power.
It’s pretty obvious these days that the NBA is the player’s league. The biggest reason for this is Lebron James, who has made a lot of moves that have given players not only more control, but a bigger voice. Since James’ infamous decision to leave his team for better equipped Miami Heat, players across the league have followed suit.
Players like James Harden, Ben Simmons and Kawhi Leonard have forced their way out of situations before their contracts are up. In efforts to get their way they won’t show up to training camps, arrive to practice uninterested, or straight up refuse to play. In this situation Durant demanded a trade, and when trade talks were getting nowhere he gave the team an ultimatum. He essentially told the owner “It’s either them or me” and said he wanted the head coach and general manager fired.
At this point, everyone was convinced Durant had made it impossible for the Nets to do anything but trade him. However, the Nets surprisingly held their ground and put their foot down. Somehow, they managed to convince KD to return to play while ignoring his ultimatum and things are back to “normal” for now.
This was the first time in what feels like forever that a player — especially a star player — did not get their way in the NBA. In fact, it still feels like we’re missing something or that Durant still has something under his belt.
After seeing this, I believe many other front offices are going to try stealing back control of the league that was once theirs. Although, I do not expect players to make it easy for them. I can definitely see more feuds like this occurring around the league. The better the player the more likely they are to fight the front office as well.
Personally, I prefer the players in control as compared to the NFL where players have little to no power. That being said, I think Durant went a little too far with his antics this offseason, and there should be somewhere to meet in the middle.
