Kevin Durant has been in a holding pattern after he reportedly requested a trade
Apr 23, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) at Barclays Center. (Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports)
A former top NBA draft pick had a suggestion for Kevin Durant as the NBA superstar is waiting for the Brooklyn Nets to honor his trade request.
The Nets have yet to find the right offer to deal Durant, who reportedly informed the organization of his trade request at the start of free agency back in July. But more than a month later, he still remains with the team even as the start of training camp and the regular season draws near.
Andrew Bogut, who was the top pick of the 2005 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and later won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors, had a suggestion for Durant.
“An easy way for KD to get out of @joetsai1999 ‘s @BrooklynNets that no NBA analyst is discussing,” he wrote Sunday. “A simple tweet: ‘Free Hong Kong, Free Taiwan.’ Gone the next day….”
Bogut appeared to playing off Nets team owner Joe Tsai’s connections with the Chinese government. Born in Taiwan, Tsai was the co-founder of Alibaba before buying the Nets. ESPN documented Tsai’s links to Beijing in an April report and cited times he would defend the country’s controversial policies.
Enes Kanter Freedom, an NBA free agent, has maintained he’s been blackballed from the league for speaking out against China and their treatment of Uyghur Muslims. The NBA has denied that notion.
Durant’s status with the Nets remained up in the air as of Monday. He shot down an unsubstantiated rumor that he would rather retire than play for the Nets next season.
“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. S— is comical at this point,” he wrote.
Ryan Gaydos is the sports editor for Fox News and Fox Business. Story tips can be sent to [email protected]