After weeks of drama and speculation, Nets and star Durant announce they're "moving forward with our partnership." The best, if ambiguous, outcome for all?

After weeks of drama and speculation, the stand-off between star Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets ended yesterday with KD blinking--rescinding his trade demand and (apparently) his reported request for the coach and General Manager to be replaced--and star and team declaring kumbaya, with a statement attributed to both the team (GM/coach/owners) and KD+management about "moving forward with our partnership."

pic.twitter.com/wQfhrKqUeM

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 23, 2022

That reverses the picture as of early July, with the Nets in turmoil, with Durant requesting a trade and guard Kyrie Irving, who couldn't reach agreement on a contract extension, expected to be traded, too. Instead, with little market for Irving, he recommitted to the team. 

The upshot? Perhaps the best outcome that was possible, given the difficulty of trading Durant for commensurate return, and the likelihood that, on paper at least, the 2022-23 Nets could be a powerhouse, assuming the healthy return of sharpshooter Joe Harris and the return-to-court of Ben Simmons, the key piece of last year's James Harden trade, plus whomever GM Sean Marks can put in a uniform.

That said, there are always question marks with the Nets, notably enigmatic guard Irving, so none of the pundits are ignoring that.

Preliminary rounds

In early August, as indicated in the Daily News cover at right, Durant reportedly asked for Marks and Coach Steve Nash to be jettisoned, only to generate a response from owner Joe Tsai
that "Our front office and coaching staff have my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets."

The ultimatum, suggested NetsDaily, would make Durant harder to trade.

Why was Durant peeved? Apparently because he didn't like some trades, didn't like the loss of an assistant coach, and thought the Nets didn't lobby the city regarding the vaccine mandate that kept Irving off the home court.

Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News suggested that the team should have kowtowed to Irving and Durant, while the New York Post's Ian O'Conner argued that "Durant’s demands leave Nets looking like NBA joke once again." 

He quoted one " prominent NBA source": “The Nets should be fined by the league if they ever use the word ‘culture’ again."

As NetsDaily noted, the NBA was not exactly happy with players like KD asking for trades after teams make significant commitments, like his four-year, $198 million contract. (KD's such a baller that, unlike some other stars, he was not expected to sit out games in protest.)

Less than three weeks ago, NetsDaily asked Is Kyrie Irving’s ‘good place’ back in Brooklyn?, suggesting that support for Irving from the team, plus secondhand reports of Irving' mood, portended a return trip.

One season ticket holder noted that his Nets sales rep was "very dismissive that there would be any adjustment in my season ticket invoices based on what's going down," though he'd committed to the ticket packages because it would be easy to sell unused tickets. 

And now, copacetic?

As NetsDaily put it, RUN IT BACK! Nets, Kevin Durant agree to ‘to move forward with partnership’:

The statement did not discuss any specifics — or any conditions — to the agreement. However, a Nets insider told Brian Lewis, “We want to build a lasting franchise, so this is not just about this year.” 

ESPN analysts suggested the outcome was "inevitable," though remained skeptical. The biggest loser? Two said Durant, one said the Boston Celtics, and another said the players dangled in trade talks.

The Nets, they said, are a top four team.

Kevin Durant trade saga turned the Nets brass into stooges, groused Post columnist Mike Vaccaro, suggesting the team's posture wasn't exactly consistent.

No real winners, no real losers. In the end, Durant, Nets reconciliation was only path, wrote NBC's Kurt Helin, noting that the team got what they wanted, but the drama wasn't over.

Durant’s Move to Stay With Nets Makes His Motivations All the More Convoluted, wrote Sport Illustrated's Chris Herring:

No one would mistake where the lion’s share of the blame for last season belongs. But by having Irving’s back, especially when his choices were most responsible for putting the club on life support, it raises questions about Durant’s leadership and explains why Brooklyn asserted more control here. 

Who won the Kevin Durant trade saga? asked Tom Ziller. calling it a win for GM Marks, a loss for Nash (who might take the fall if the Nets stumble), a an "enormous win" for the Tsais, and a mixed result for KD.

The "biggest winner" was Irving, since "Durant’s trade demand completely transferred the focus away from Irving’s doomed gambit seeking a team to hand him a large new contract only to take his player option to remain with the Nets."

And more (updated Aug. 25)

With drama behind them, Nets now have to build a team, wrote the New York Post's Brian Lewis, noting that "And just because bridges weren’t burned doesn’t mean they don’t need some repairing and patchwork."

What the Nets need to prove:

Nash isn’t Spoelstra. Irving has to show he’s available to get the kind of $200 million-plus deal Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine did. Ben Simmons has to show he’s physically and mentally capable of playing. And Durant has to prove he’s committed and won’t change his mind again if the Nets stumble early.

And they have to fill six open roster spots.

The Athletic's Zach Harper suggested there were 5 winners and 5 losers.

The winners included: GM Marks; the untouchable trade targets Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes; the Minnesota Timberwolves (who kept other teams from assembling a trade package for KD); Internet trade machines and the people who love them; and teammates/ex-teammate Irving, Simmons, and James Harden.

The losers: Coach Nash, now on the hot seat; Boston Celtics trade target Jaylen Brown; the national TV schedule, which for now downplays the Nets; KD, who didn't get what he sought; and the Nets, for whom all drama will get a spotlight.

"Of course, this could all be a ruse to catch us off-balance for Durant to now get traded," Harper wrote. "Don’t turn your back on the offseason."