Kevin Durant was once a great basketball player who just played hard, loved the game, was a great teammate and didn't add any drama to his team. Those days are gone. It seems as Durant gets older, he has a harder time being a team player and coping when things don't go exactly his way. I wrote about his leadership abilities in a post a while back and it still more than rings true given the most recent news that he wants out of Brooklyn, or else.

The Demands

Durant requested a trade in June, shocking the basketball world as on paper, he is on a world beating team in the Brooklyn Nets. Once again this week he reiterated that request but this time made demands. Either he gets traded or head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks need to be fired.

That's a pretty tall order and realistically it's an easy answer for the Nets owner, no. He's contracted with the team until 2026 and if he decides not to play, he doesn't get paid. Joseph Tsai, team owner, is very much in the drivers seat and by no accounts will be extorted by a player that is throwing a tantrum and wants things to be done exactly his way.

The Track Record

Durant doesn't have a great record of leading a team and doing what's best for the organization. Yes, the Nets have underperformed given the roster that they have but KD hasn't exactly been the fearless leader, in line with the coach, that refuses to let the team lose. Instead, he like to complain, blame others and sound off on Twitter like someone much younger and more immature. It is tough to see a guy with so much talent have so many issues outside of actually making shots and running an offense.

Where To Go From Here?

It might make sense for Tsai to just cut and run from Durant because he hurts more than he helps. Steve Nash is a good young coach that has made it work with so many divas and mismatched parts so they are not going to get rid of him.

It might be tough to coach a team where your star player and "leader" isn't happy to be there, but realistically when is Durant ever happy? That might be the best question to ask Mr. Durant. In what situation would he actually be happy? With what players around and with him would he deem agreeable?

He seemed most happy playing second fiddle to Steph Curry in Golden State where he could just ball out and not need to worry about setting an example or being looked to for direction. But what player of his caliber wants to be the second guy on a team? Certainly not Durant and therein lies the problem. The best situation where he seemed to thrive is one that he doesn't want, so until he can reconcile that, it's unclear if he will ever find a suitable situation in his mind.

Mound Visit

Saints Sports Network is a Christian group that brings you interesting sports coverage. Our name comes from Ephesians 2:18-21 where it notes that all Christians are saints in God's eyes. Therefore we are saints who write about sports but also want to make sure to share the Gospel. That's where Mound Visit comes into play because we all need a visit to the mound from God in good times and bad to recenter our lives and trust in him. We'll do that by highlighting a Bible verse for you to think and pray about in each newsletter that you receive from us.