<\/p>\n
Kevin Durant brushed by reporters Monday night (Tuesday AEDT) in the bowels of Barclays Center, not stopping to make statements or answer questions. <\/p>\n
The only questions that matter being what did he make of the Nets\u2019 trading his friend Kyrie Irving? And will he follow suit in forcing his way out? <\/p>\n
The seismic deal sending Irving to Dallas has now put contenders like the Suns and Celtics on high alert. <\/p>\n
Durant alert. <\/p>\n
Wed, 08 Feb<\/p>\n
Wednesday February 8th<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Watch an average of 9 LIVE NBA Regular Season games per week on ESPN on Kayo Sports on ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now ><\/a><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n Last summer the Nets took two months to convince Kevin Durant to rescind his earlier trade request and stay in Brooklyn. This time they have just two more days before Thursday\u2019s 3pm. (Friday 7am AEDT) trade deadline to make a compelling argument. If there is even one to be made. <\/p>\n \u201cThat wouldn\u2019t even come up in our conversation. We talked about the game and that was really about it,\u201d coach Jacque Vaughn said about Durant\u2019s mindset and desire to stay. <\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t complicate it. Like I said, I\u2019m going to coach the group that\u2019s in front of me and to coach the group that\u2019s in the locker room. That won\u2019t change. I\u2019m not going to speculate and get in Kevin\u2019s mind at all. Not gonna even try to do that. I\u2019m going to coach this group. I look forward to coaching him and look forward to winning.\u201d <\/p>\n James’ take on the Irving-Mavs trade | 01:25<\/p>\n The Nets couldn\u2019t win Monday, falling 124-116 to the Clippers playing with Durant, Ben Simmons and Seth Curry all sidelined, and incoming Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith not yet on-board. <\/p>\n But the million-dollar question \u2014 heck, half-billion-dollar question \u2014 is whether they can convince Durant they can win, as in hoist a trophy. <\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, Kevin wants to win,\u201d Vaughn said before Monday\u2019s game, trying to simultaneously skirt the issue while still tamping down any panic. \u201cThat\u2019s always been our goal. <\/p>\n \u201cHe wants to win at shootaround, he wants to win any game of the week. That\u2019s why he loves to play and that\u2019s why he wants to play 82 games. That will be our holy grail. We\u2019ll continue to try to put a group out that wins and until there\u2019s something for me to be concerned about, then I\u2019ll carry on business as usual.\u201d <\/p>\n Despite the Nets\u2019 clear dysfunction, their talent made them a contender. Before Irving demanded out \u2014 having previously vowed he\u2019d never leave his man Durant \u2014 Brooklyn had the fourth-best odds to win the NBA title. Now those odds have plummeted to 10th. <\/p>\n That\u2019s not the kind of first-round-and-out mediocrity that Durant \u2014 currently sidelined with an MCL sprain \u2014 signed up for in 2019. <\/p>\n Green delivers career-best numbers | 00:47<\/p>\n While the Lakers and Suns made concrete offers for Irving, the Nets took the Dallas package because they needed players playing at a high level, rather than just future assets. That again was about assuaging Durant, whose manager Rich Kleiman has heretofore been silent. <\/p>\n \u201cFor us, our expectations don\u2019t change. We\u2019ll put a product on the floor that will compete and play hard. No ifs, ands or buts about that,\u201d Vaughn said. \u201cWe have an unbelievable ownership and group who want to win. That doesn\u2019t change.\u201d <\/p>\n Durant had requested a trade on June 30 over doubts about Brooklyn\u2019s championship mettle. He rescinded the request on Aug. 23 after team owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks convinced him during a meeting in Los Angeles. <\/p>\n Marks hadn\u2019t been interested in a Suns offer centered around Deandre Ayton, but Phoenix is sniffing around again. ESPN reported the Celtics are as well. <\/p>\n In the first year of a four-year, $198 million max contract extension, Durant would bring back a king\u2019s ransom, but one the Nets \u2014 who\u2019ve been in dialogue with their star \u2014 hope to not ever have to see. <\/p>\n \u201cMy conversation with Kev basically was based around [Saturday\u2019s] game and how our group pulled together to get a win,\u201d Vaughn said before Monday\u2019s game. \u201cHe was enthusiastic about that how our guys played, how Cam [Thomas] played. So our conversations really kind of geared toward that direction and that was really about it.\u201d <\/p>\n Durant has been out since spraining his MCL on Jan. 8 in Miami, with an injury update expected Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll get you a full kind of scope once we get the word from the doctor what he\u2019s been doing, what\u2019s next for him we\u2019ll get that to you [Tuesday],\u201d Vaughn said.<\/p>\n