Nets Star Kevin Durant Responds to ‘Comical’ Retirement Speculation

In his latest newsletter posted Monday, Marc Stein reportedly spoke to an unnamed NBA executive during Summer League where they told him Kevin Durant is more likely to call it a career than play for the Nets next season.

“One of the most well-connected team executives I speak to regularly insisted to me that, based on what he was hearing, Kevin Durant was more apt to retire than play again for the Brooklyn Nets,” Stein wrote in his newsletter. “This was in early July. I told the tipster that I simply couldn’t believe that.”

After the quote began to swirl online, the Brooklyn star took to Twitter to address it. 

“I know most people will believe unnamed sources over me but if it’s anyone out there that’ll listen, I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon,” he said on Twitter. “S--- is comical at this point.”

Durant reportedly requested a trade from the Nets in June and he reiterated his request on Aug. 8, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. In the meeting with team owner Joe Tsai, he reportedly said that he did not have faith in the team’s direction, and that Tsai needed to choose between him or general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash. 

The Celtics, Heat and Raptors are front-runners to land Durant in a trade, per Charania. 

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