Recapping what unfolded in the Brooklyn Nets camp this past season, Skip Bayless doesn’t believe that Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Steve Nash can co-exist.
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Seems like Kevin Durant is stuck with the Brooklyn Nets. After surprisingly asking for a trade at the beginning of the 2022 offseason, there were a lot of speculations as to what was in the 2014 MVP’s future.
Fast forward a few months, KD is forced to honor the 4-year, $194 million contract extension he had signed with the NY-based franchise.
After nagging Steve Nash all summer long, seeing each other in training camp must’ve been absolutely awkward. However, the head coach played it cool, revealing that it was all behind them.
“We’re good,” Nash said, according to ESPN. “It’s been like nothing’s changed. I have a long history with Kevin [Durant]. I love the guy. Families have issues. We had a moment and it’s behind us. That’s what happens. It’s a common situation in the league.”
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While the two parties state that there is no bad blood between them, several basketball analysts around the world don’t believe it. Skip Bayless is just one of many who doesn’t see Nash, KD, and Kyrie Irving co-existing.
“I feel sorry for Steve Nash”: Skip Bayless on the Kevin Durant fiasco
On a recent episode of “UNDISPUTED”, Bayless initially gave a brief recap of what happened in Brooklyn. Later, Skip stated that Nash deserved more respect from The Durantula and Kai.
“Here’s what actually happened through the offseason: Kevin Durant said ‘get me out of here’ because he was sick and tired of all the bulljive from Kyrie Irving. He made a mistake, he followed the wrong guy in Brooklyn. He wants out, he’s gotta get out cause the environment is no longer stable enough to produce a championship says Kevin Durant.
So Kevin Durant was backed into a corner by Joe Tsai, who just said ‘Kevin, I just gave you 4 more years. You owe me 4 more years, I’m not gonna give you away. I’m sorry’. So Kevin gets more and more desperate and he says ‘uh-oh, I gotta go with an ultimatum. I gotta say publicly either you fire Steve Nash and Sean Marks or let me go’. Because he thought maybe that would be enough.
I feel sorry for Steve Nash because right out of the box Kyrie says ‘we don’t even need a coach’. That’s when I really start to feel sorry for a guy… Steve Nash won 2 MVPs previously. Back-to-back MVPs.
He deserves more respect than these guys are giving him. For me personally, if I were in Steve Nash’s shoes, I don’t think I could ever quite get over this one.”
Skip isn’t wrong at all. At some point in the season, this issue is bound to arise and bother either of the two – Kevin or Nash.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Nets front office manages the situation as the season tips off in only a few weeks.
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