Week in Review: Takeaways From a Twitter Convo with Kevin Durant

Thibs would reportedly prefer to trade RJ Barrett rather than Quentin Grimes, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.

A look back on the week that was… 

🏀 We had a couple of updates on the Donovan Mitchell front over the past few days. On Tuesday, Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic reported that after weeks of silence, the Knicks and Jazz had re-engaged in trade talks and had a "fresh conversation." 

However, the piece notes there is "no traction between" the two teams and "no Mitchell trade is imminent for the Jazz." Shams adds that New York and Utah "seriously discussed" a deal in July until talks "stalled." The sides have purportedly re-ignited talks, but "hurdles toward a deal remain." The Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards are also among the teams pursuing Mitchell, according to The Athletic. 

I always find it interesting to attempt to suss out which side of the negotiating table a leak emanates from. It seems likely that Danny Ainge and the Jazz have been responsible for most recent reports. For one, the Knicks front office under Leon Rose tends to move in silence. In addition, Shams reports that Utah is "comfortable keeping Mitchell into the season and potentially beyond, due to him having three years remaining on his contract" and that Mitchell "is believed to be comfortable with either outcome of staying with the Jazz or being traded elsewhere." If that were the case, the Jazz would have nearly all the leverage and would be in no rush to get a deal done. 

However, as I detailed earlier this month, pressure may shift as we get closer to training camp. 

🏀 During an interview on SiriusXM radio Wednesday afternoon, Stephen A Smith discussed the Mitchell sweepstakes and let it be known that the Jazz has no interest in Julius Randle and the $100+ million left on his contract. "Utah didn't want Julius Randle, from what I'm told. They don't want him. The Knicks were willing to unload him," said Smith

For what it's worth, contrary to other insider reporting, Smith did claim that Utah does want RJ Barrett in the deal. In addition to RJ, Utah wants "at least six first-round picks," per Stephen A. 

Smith adamantly argued the Knicks should do what it takes to get Mitchell but acknowledged that giving up that many first-rounders would be ridiculous. "They need to go get him, but you can't give up six picks for him. That's robbery."

Again, the fact that the Knicks have not yet caved to Ainge's absurd demands is an encouraging sign. 

🏀 Then, on Saturday, New York Post reporter Marc Berman chimed in, reporting that "there is belief around the league Thibodeau would prefer to give up Barrett in a deal than shooting guard Quentin Grimes" and that "Ainge is hot to acquire Grimes for his Jazz rebuilding plan." Berman would add that "some in the Knicks organization aren't fully convinced Barrett is worthy of a maximum rookie contract extension," noting that although he scored over 20 points a night, he shot just 40.6% from the floor. "Barrett was eligible for the rookie extension on July 1, but the Knicks have to see how the Mitchell sweepstakes," according to Berman.  

* For those who follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that I engaged in an unexpected exchange with Nets superstar Kevin Durant earlier in the week. 

I hopped on NBA TV last night to discuss the interaction:

https://www.nba.com/watch/video/nba-gametime-08-20?plsrc=nba&nba-tv-series=nba-gametime-2022

The conversation started after KD took to the Bird App to dispute the report by Marc Stein that Durant might consider retiring from the NBA if Brooklyn refused to trade him. I responded to KD, asking him if he were interested in debunking any other rumors - such as the report he wouldn't rescind his trade demand unless head coach Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks were canned.

Durant replied that the real season starts in a month. In response to a fan who chimed in, KD remarked, "U think you're entitled to information because u pay for league pass??"

My retort: "Genuinely curious, KD: What information are fans entitled to? If a big Nets fan in Brooklyn has to decide whether to set aside a bunch of his hard-earned money on season tickets, he'd probably want to know if the Nets' best player plans to play for his favorite team next season."

KD shot back: "You're entitled to what u work for. Now have a great day little fella."

My rejoinder: "So you gotta work to be remunerated? NBA owners may quote you on this during the next CBA negotiations my guy. Also, I'd like to have a great day but I'm stressed about my fantasy football draft tonight. I'd call ya "big fella" - but I can't take Patrick Ewing's name in vain."

(as an aside, my mom texted me later that day and said she thought it was cool I gave Patrick some props lol)

Unsurprisingly, Durant was quick to point out that NBA owners' have seen their assets appreciate considerably in recent years, as the value of franchises has skyrocketed. "NBA owners have been eating very well," said KD. 

I agreed with that assertion. However, I added, "you know those dudes are sharks, and they won't stop gorging on profits just because they've had their fair share and are no longer hungry. Players not playing will be a major sticking point during the next round of CBA (collective bargaining agreement) talks, as you know."

Durant then made a comment I wholeheartedly disagree with, asserting: "Fans and media want a lockout but I don't see one happening, Shit going too well but who really knows right?"

I responded thusly: "bro... fans don't agree on much, but I can promise you with 100% certainty that every real/true NBA fan is praying there isn't a lockout. They just want to watch the game they love. You're wrong about the media also. For many of us, our livelihood depends on the games being played."

Durant claimed, "y'all have been loudest about a lockout" and about "how much the CBA needs to change." My reply: "eh, I'd disagree with that generalization. Any responsible journalist has a responsibility to cover/examine a potential work stoppage. That coverage should include what might lead to a lockout (players sitting out games). But that doesn't mean "the media" agrees with the owners."

KD then brought up the issue of teams sitting out healthy players. "We've seen it the last few years. That gonna get any coverage?" he asked. 

"Very good question," I answered. "And one which has been debated A LOT in the media over the years - dating back to Coach Pop sitting healthy players a decade ago. In fact, it was covered so extensively that Adam Silver had to start fining teams $100k for sitting guys in national TV games."

Durant then stated I wanted to "speak for all media," to which I replied: "I certainly won't pretend I speak for 'all media.' I'm just giving you my opinion. Just as I wouldn't assume you don't claim to speak for all players."

In his final tweet, KD wrote: "I feel u. I think the league is in a great place, I don't believe there will be a lockout but who really knows."

So, yeah, chopping it with one of the 25 greatest players of all time wasn't how I foresaw my Monday going when I woke up that morning, but it was an engaging and enjoyable conversation. 

Of all the points discussed, I found Durant's seeming animus towards the fans most surprising. A star player having disdain for the media is expected and understandable. In his recent ESPN documentary, I thought Derek Jeter presented this dynamic well from the athlete's point of view. Jeter explained how he knew that the goal for plenty of writers was to bait players into saying something controversial that tabloids could use as a headline to sell papers. Jeter's objective was to be as vanilla as possible and give scribes nothing interesting/gripping to run with. 

So, I wasn't surprised to see Durant take a shot at "the media," as if we are all one big like-minded entity. The rise of shows like "First Take" and talking heads such as Skip Bayless only serve to reinforce players' belief that the media is sensationalist and has little use for facts of any kind. 

However, for KD to suggest that the average fan wanted to see a lockout made no sense. True hoop fans want to watch basketball games no matter which team they root for. They don't care if the players or owners get 49% or 51% of basketball-related revenue in the new CBA. The average fan has no interest whether it's the millionaire players or billionaire owners who take home a larger percentage of the profits. In my opinion, suggesting otherwise is foolish and shows a lack of understanding of where the typical fan is coming from.