The Kevin Durant trade sweepstakes seemed to come to a conclusion on Tuesday, when the Nets announced they'd reached an accord with the 12-time All-Star that will keep him in Brooklyn.
Durant, who turns 34 next month, rocked the basketball world when he requested a trade in late June on the eve of free agency. He doubled down on that position weeks later, when he issued an ultimatum to team owner Joe Tsai demanding that he be traded or general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash be fired.
Instead, it seems none of them are going anywhere, and instead Durant will run it back on the Nets with All-Star teammates Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons.
Tuesday's development once again was a hot topic among basketball journalists and fans.
For some journalists, the ultimately unrealized trade chatter amounted to little more than a traffic driver:
Thanks for the summer of pageviews, tho https://t.co/qPm57JwsZB
— (((Eric Koreen))) (@ekoreen) August 23, 2022
Others saw the failed ultimatum as a defeat for Durant:
Very on brand for KD to be the one superstar to botch a trade demand https://t.co/3BuWBG333p
— Black KOC (@BLACKMESSlAH) August 23, 2022
KD: trade me
— Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) August 23, 2022
NETS: no
KD: ok fire Nash and Marks
NETS: also no
KD: ok i'll see you at training camp
shoutout to the Nets for being the first team of the "player empowerment" era to actually stick to their guns and win this battle https://t.co/Wi5cypWsvV
Others still insisted that Durant staying with the Nets was always the most likely outcome:
Always the most likely outcome. https://t.co/jIhgcsxoMm
— Brandon Abraham (@bcabraham) August 23, 2022
For Nets fans and media, it was elation and relief:
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