Kevin Durant

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant would like to claim a stake in the Washington Commanders should Dan and Tanya Snyder sell the NFL franchise.

"In a perfect world, I would be a part of it," he said to ESPN's Nick Friedell. "I would love to do it. I would love to give a little bit of my money to be a part of the Commanders, but we'll see. Hopefully it's somebody nice. I heard [Amazon CEO Jeff] Bezos and Jay-Z, but you never know."

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sunday that the Commanders could sell for as high as $7 billion.

On the #Commanders possible sale: My understanding is that number could reach $7B with a timeline of the March league meeting if all goes well. https://t.co/qWa4LxE0zy

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 6, 2022

The 12-time All-Star is from Washington, D.C., and told Friedell he's "excited as a fan" for the Commanders' future.

"I feel like we drafted well the last couple years," he said. "We got some foundation pieces that can help you win football games moving forward. So yeah, I think it's an attractive destination."

The Snyders announced Wednesday they hired BofA Securities to explore the potential sale of the Commanders.

Fans have called for an ownership change for years, and the dissent has reached a fevered pitch amid a series of controversies involving the organization.

The Commanders were the subject of an investigation into their workplace atmosphere in 2021, which drew the attention of Congress as well. On the same day as the Snyders' announcement, ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. reported prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office were looking into alleged financial improprieties.

An earlier report from ESPN cast serious doubt on how much support from fellow NFL owners Dan Snyder even enjoys now. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was the first to go on record and call for his removal.

In the event the Commanders are officially put up for sale, the Snyders almost assuredly wouldn't have trouble finding bidders despite all of the recent turmoil.

People's Charlotte Triggs and Natasha Dye reported Bezos may be interested and could bring Jay-Z within his ownership group. Kamaron Leach of Bloomberg reported Entertainment Studios founder Byron Allen is laying the groundwork for a bid.

If Durant were to obtain a minority share, this wouldn't be his first foray into sports ownership. He bought a five percent stake in the MLS' Philadelphia Union in June 2020 and became a minority investor in the NWSL's NJ/NY Gotham FC in May.

Quite a bit is currently up in the air for the Brooklyn Nets. They fired head coach Steve Nash and Jacque Vaughn took over on an interim basis. Kyrie Irving has been suspended indefinitely. And meanwhile, the team has gotten off to a slow start on the court.

So, what does the future hold? Who will become the next head coach? When will Irving return? Can the Nets get their season back on track?

And then there's Kevin Durant, the superstar forward who requested to be traded during the offseason. Nothing ever materialized, and the 34-year-old has remained in Brooklyn, even if that wasn't what he wanted in the summer.

At some point, the Nets may break up their core, which has underperformed in recent seasons. Despite having Durant and Irving in the same lineup (which also once featured James Harden and now Ben Simmons), Brooklyn has still won only one playoff series over the past four seasons, even though it's reached the postseason every year during that stretch.

But for now, Durant may not be going anywhere, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

"The concern in Brooklyn is: How long does Kevin Durant hang in there? ... You can imagine a scenario where KD perhaps revisits his [trade] request from the summer at some point, although I don't believe that's a consideration right now for him," Wojnarowski said during a recent appearance on ESPN (h/t Talkin' NBA).

That may not mean Durant is entirely happy, though. The Nets were 2-6 before they notched back-to-back wins over the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets on Friday and Saturday. But there's still a long season to go, and Brooklyn will need to find a way to keep having success.

It could be difficult for the Nets to do that if they don't get more out of Simmons, who has still played only six games since getting traded to Brooklyn in February. And he's currently out because of a knee injury.

"Ben Simmons has been a source of frustration for Kevin Durant, for others on the Nets so far, because he has been unable to stay on the floor with a knee injury," Wojnarowski said on ESPN (h/t Talkin' NBA). "But prior to that, he has shown that he's a long way away from being back to an impactful player."

Could it be best for both Durant and the Nets to part ways? He surely wants to get back to competing for NBA titles, while Brooklyn may need to head in a different direction if it can't excel with its current roster construction.

If Durant hits the trade market, there'd be plenty of suitors. In fact, ESPN's Zach Lowe recently said on The Lowe Post podcast that "the whole league is ready now to reengage on Kevin Durant" (h/t HoopsHype).

Even if the Nets haven't performed quite as well as they had hoped so far, Durant is playing exceptionally again. He's averaging 31.5 points through 10 games, and he hadn't scored fewer than 26 this season

Because Durant remains one of the top scorers in the league, Brooklyn likely shouldn't try to trade him yet. Even if the Nets have to move forward without Irving and/or Simmons—and they may be wise to try to trade both, if possible—they could still build around Durant for the foreseeable future.

However, if things continue to trend in a negative direction for the franchise, then Brooklyn may eventually reach a point where it's best to trade Durant and enter a rebuild. That point isn't here yet, though, and the Nets should know that.

For now, Durant will continue to try to power Brooklyn to success. It may not be a permanent fit, though, and it wouldn't be surprising if he eventually suits up for another team before the end of his NBA career.

The Kevin Durant sweepstakes could soon be back on.

ESPN's Zach Lowe reported on the Lowe Post podcast (via HoopsHype) "the whole league is ready now to reengage" in trade discussions centered around the Brooklyn Nets star. He added at the 26:24 mark "the vultures are gonna circle on Durant" amid the Nets' ongoing turmoil.

The organization refused to acquiesce to Durant's trade request in the offseason, but so much has changed already that the front office could be more receptive to the idea.

Prior to opening night, the Nets clearly remained convinced of their ability to contend for a title with the pair of Durant and Kyrie Irving. Now, they're 3-6 and sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference.

So much of Brooklyn's championship hopes rested on a return to form by Ben Simmons. The three-time All-Star looks even more hesitant on offense—his 5.7 shot attempts per game are fewer than half of his career average (11.5)—and he's dealing with a knee problem as well.

The team's start was enough to cost head coach Steve Nash his job. Even assuming things turn around under interim head coach Jacque Vaughn or a permanent replacement to Nash, there's only so much the staff can do with a squad that's 26th in defensive rating (115.0), per NBA.com.

As that has all unfolded on the court, Irving created more drama off it by sharing a link on Twitter to an antisemitic film. After he failed to apologize or renounce the content of the movie, the Nets suspended him for a minimum of five games without pay.

Irving apologized on Instagram shortly after the suspension was issued.

It all raises the question as to whether the Nets are prolonging the inevitable by keeping Durant and avoiding the full-scale rebuild his departure would trigger. If recent history tells us anything, then the next crisis is right around the corner for Brooklyn.

Lowe said the teams that might covet Durant "expect the Nets to put on a strong face for a while, to not rush it." He also posited the 12-time All-Star may not attempt to force his way out now, either, because of how it would be viewed.

Maybe nothing materializes before the Feb. 9 trade deadline or even next summer. Still, you can't help but feel Durant's days in Brooklyn are numbered.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant is not considering renewing his offseason trade request despite the recent suspension of teammate Kyrie Irving.

That news is per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski during a Friday appearance on This Just In with Max Kellerman (h/t Talkin' NBA).

"The concern in Brooklyn is: How long does Kevin Durant hang in there. ... You can imagine a scenario where Kevin Durant perhaps revisits his [trade] request from the summer at some point, although I don't believe that's a consideration right now for him."

Durant made the trade request last summer and explained why he did so to reporters, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.

Kevin Durant on why he made the trade request: "It was a lot of uncertainty around our team last year. I committed to this organization for 4 years last summer with the idea that we were gonna be playing with that group (KD Kyrie & James Harden)."

— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) September 26, 2022

Durant is in the midst of a four-year, $194.2 million deal that runs through the 2025-26 season.

There's more uncertainty now after the Nets suspended Irving for "no less than five games" without pay in the wake of his promotion of a film containing antisemitic tropes as well as a refusal to "unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film."

Statement from the Brooklyn Nets pic.twitter.com/699px8XYpx

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 4, 2022

The 2-6 Nets currently sit 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference despite a great start from Durant, who has averaged 32.5 points on 52.8 percent shooting, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.

Their defensive rating ranks dead last in the NBA, per Basketball-Reference. Durant and Irving (26.9 PPG) are also the only players on the team averaging at least 12 points per game. The Nets and head coach Steve Nash have also parted ways. Jacque Vaughn has since taken over as the interim coach.

For now, the Nets will look to move forward when they visit the Washington Wizards on Friday for a 7 p.m. ET game.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant discussed Kyrie Irving's promotion of an antisemitic film on social media for the first time with reporters Friday, and he later clarified that he doesn't condone antisemitism.

“I’m not here to judge somebody or talk down on their life or how they feel their views," Durant initially said at a shootaround. "I just didn't like anything that went on. I felt like it was all unnecessary. I felt like we could have just kept playing basketball and kept quiet as an organization.”

Durant later took to Twitter to clarify his remarks:

Just wanna clarify the statements I made at shootaround, I see some people are confused..I don’t condone hate speech or anti-semetism, I’m about spreading love always. Our game Unites people and I wanna make sure that’s at the forefront

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) November 4, 2022

The Nets suspended Irving on Thursday after he refused to definitively say he holds no antisemitic views in a press conference earlier in the day. It was the first time Irving had spoken to media since a tense back-and-forth with a reporter, in which he defended his decision to promote a film that linked Jewish people to Satan worship.

"I'm not the one who made the documentary," Irving told reporters in the presser. He also notably did not apologize for sharing the link.

After the suspension was announced, Irving made a post on Instagram apologizing for his actions.

Kyrie Irving apologies on IG: “To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize.” pic.twitter.com/9RrqpDAVzD

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 4, 2022

The team's statement announcing his suspension called Irving "currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver released a statement on Thursday addressing the situation.

The NBPA, where Irving sits as a member of the executive board, released only a vague statement Tuesday condemning antisemitism that did not mention Irving by name.

There have been, as of publication, no current NBA players who have stepped up and called out Irving for what should be a straightforward issue. Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley have used their public forums to criticize Irving in recent days, but the lack of comment from current players has been noteworthy.

The Brooklyn Nets reportedly aren't considering a blockbuster Kevin Durant trade in the immediate aftermath of head coach Steve Nash's departure from the organization.

Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill reported Tuesday that Nets general manager Sean Marks doesn't "appear to be considering" a Durant trade because he's hopeful Ime Udoka, the favorite to take over as the team's new head coach, can "rescue" the franchise.

KD requested a trade in late June, but no team was able to meet Brooklyn's sky-high asking price, which led Marks to release a statement in August saying the sides had "agreed to move forward with our partnership" heading into the 2022-23 season.

Any hope the Nets could put the past few drama-filled years behind them to emerge as championship contenders had already began to fade during the early stages of the campaign, though. They own a 2-6 record, tied for the NBA's fourth-worst mark.

On Tuesday, the franchise announced it had mutually parted ways with Nash, who compiled a 94-67 record across two-plus seasons in Brooklyn.

"I've gotten to know Steve during his time in Brooklyn, and he is not one to shy away from challenges," team governor Joe Tsai said. "My admiration and respect for him grew over time as he brought hard work and positive attitude to our organization every day, even in periods of exceptional storm surrounding the team."

Nash's exit raised questions about whether the Nets were going to head toward a full-scale reconstruction of not only the coaching staff but also the roster. So far, it doesn't sound like that'll be the case.

The talent is there, led by Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, for Brooklyn to make some noise this season, but far too often the focus has been on something other than basketball since KD and Kyrie joined the organization as free agents in June 2019.

"Let's be real, we're pros, we're veterans. We had a tough start," Durant told reporters after Tuesday's loss to the Chicago Bulls. "It was a rocky year last year, rocky summer. We knew that everybody was being evaluated. That's just how it is in the league."

Now the Nets are seemingly about to pin their hopes of a turnaround on Udoka, who was suspended by the Boston Celtics in September for multiple violations of team policies. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported an independent investigation found Udoka "crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman."

Udoka remained under contract with the Celtics despite the season-long suspension, meaning the organization had to green-light any interviews with other teams. Wojnarowski reported the C's wouldn't stop him from taking another job, though.

It would represent a Hail Mary attempt to salvage the Nets' push to win a title with their current core, which has fallen well short of expectations so far.

If Brooklyn can't right the ship following a coaching change, the front office may have no choice but to make large-scale changes next offseason.

Kevin Durant had six turnovers in Tuesday's 108-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls at Barclays Center, and he had a pretty simple explanation as to why he had so many giveaways.

"Every night I’m guarded by five players, so I’m going to turn the ball over," Durant told reporters after the loss. "I’m trying to be aggressive and trying to create stuff. The whole team is going to guard me throughout the whole season, so get used to my turnovers.”

Aside from the turnovers, Durant also notched 32 points, nine rebounds, six assists, one steal and two blocks in a loss that dropped Brooklyn to 2-6 on the season. He entered the game averaging 3.4 turnovers this season.

For comparison, Durant has never averaged more than 3.8 turnovers per game in his NBA career. That came in 2011-12 when he was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 34-year-old didn't get much else from his other superstar teammate, Kyrie Irving, on Tuesday night. Irving finished with just four points, six rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes in an uninspired performance.

Tuesday's game marked Brooklyn's first without Steve Nash, who was fired and replaced with interim head coach Jacque Vaughn. Firing Nash could have reinvigorated the squad, but it did anything but as the defense continues to struggle mightily.

Durant added after the game that he enjoyed working with Nash despite the ups-and-downs.

"Let's be real. We're pros. We're veterans," Durant told reporters. "We had a tough start ... We knew that everybody was being evaluated. That's just how it is in the league. I liked working with Steve."

The Nets have the NBA's third-worst defensive rating at 118.3, and unless the defense tightens up, it's hard to imagine Brooklyn competing with some of the Eastern Conference's top teams, such as the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brooklyn will look to turn things around against the Washington Wizards on Friday before facing the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.

Kevin Durant made headlines this offseason when Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the 12-time All-Star gave a him-or-me ultimatum regarding Steve Nash to Brooklyn Nets governor Joe Tsai, but the forward had positive things to say about his former head coach Tuesday.

"Let's be real. We're pros. We're veterans. We had a tough start," Durant told reporters after the Nets announced they parted ways with the coach. " ... We knew that everybody was being evaluated. That's just how it is in the league. I liked working with Steve."

To say things did not go according to plan for Nash in Brooklyn would be an understatement.

It started off well, with the team making the second round of the playoffs in his first season and narrowly losing to the eventual-champion Milwaukee Bucks. However, the 2021-22 campaign was loaded with disappointments.

Kyrie Irving missed much of the season because he remained unvaccinated against COVID-19, Durant was sidelined at times with injuries and James Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that brought Ben Simmons to the Nets.

Simmons didn't play at all, and the Boston Celtics swept Brooklyn in the first round of the playoffs.

That was the backdrop heading into a tumultuous offseason that included Irving trade rumors and the Durant ultimatum. Then the Nets got off to a 2-5 start, and they decided to move on from Nash and start a new coaching search.

Charania reported that suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka "has emerged as a strong frontrunner" in that search. The suspension came after an independent law firm hired by the Celtics found that Udoka broke team rules.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the investigation determined "he used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman."

For now, Brooklyn has named assistant coach Jacque Vaughn as the interim head coach. He served previously in this role for the Nets when Kenny Atkinson stepped down midway through the 2020-21 season.

Durant will eventually need to form a new relationship with another coach, but he said he ended up enjoying his time with Nash, even if it ended without a championship.

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks told reporters Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were not consulted before the team parted ways with coach Steve Nash.

The Nets and Nash agreed to a mutual parting Tuesday after a disappointing 2-5 start. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Brooklyn is expected to hire suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka to replace Nash.

A formal announcement of Udoka's hiring could happen Wednesday. The Celtics are not expected to seek any draft compensation in return despite Udoka currently being under contract.

It's highly unlikely Durant is losing sleep over Nash's ouster. The future Hall of Famer pushed for the dismissal of Nash and Marks during the offseason amid his trade-demand fiasco. While governor Joe Tsai declined to make a move on either his coach or general manager at the time, giving Nash a seven-game window to turn things around was not a particularly strong vote of confidence.

Rather than promote from within—assistant Jacque Vaughn is well-regarded and led the team to a 7-3 record as the interim coach in 2020—the Nets seem determined to throw themselves into the firestorm of another controversy with Udoka.

The soon-to-be-former Celtics coach was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season after being accused of sexual misconduct. An independent investigation found Udoka made crude comments to a female Celtics employee before engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship with the woman.

Wojnarowski wrote in September that Udoka's words were "especially concerning coming from a workplace superior," though no details were released by the team.

The Nets organization hiring Udoka just months after Boston took the unprecedented step to suspend him will undoubtedly raise some eyebrows. It would be fair to criticize the mixed message being sent by Tsai, who tweeted "it's bigger than basketball" after expressing his disappointment in Irving for his promotion of an antisemitic film on social media.

Irving remains in the eye of the storm after a tense back-and-forth with a reporter Saturday night about his actions. The Nets guard refused to take responsibility for using his platform to promote the film, which utilizes antisemitic themes and tropes, and doubled down on his decision to repost an Alex Jones conspiracy theory that peddles a lie about a so-called "New World Order" controlling the world.

Paul Pierce has a plan to fix the NBA's two biggest disasters: Trade Anthony Davis for Kevin Durant.

The Hall of Famer tweeted his blockbuster idea Sunday afternoon:

What’s going on with the Brooklyn Nets . I think it’s time to start the AD for KD rumors right now 🤷🏾‍♂️

— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) October 30, 2022

Of course, this is one of those trades that only happens in 2K Franchise Mode and has no actual shot of happening. Neither Davis nor Durant is the problem with their respective teams; the issues are glaring for both organizations and lie elsewhere on the roster.

The Lakers have a $47 million Russell Westbrook albatross and one of the weakest supporting casts in the NBA behind Davis and LeBron James. The Nets employ a constant distraction in Kyrie Irving, have gotten nothing from Ben Simmons, and they have a roster seemingly incapable or unwilling to put forth any defensive effort.

A KD-for-AD trade does little more than shuffle the deck chairs on both rosters.

That said, it is fun to speculate about. The NBA's two gravest disappointments come together in a fit of desperation to jettison a pair of superstars? Sign us up for the social media mess that would ensue.