Kevin Durant

The 1992 Dream Team and 2008 Redeem Team typically dominate the conversation about the greatest Team USA men's basketball team.

Kevin Durant apparently has a difference of opinion—albeit one he was only willing to share for a short amount of time.

Durant seemed ready to crown the 2012 team as the best of all time in a now-deleted tweet:

In terms of pure domination, there's no question the Dream Team takes the cake. The United States obliterated the competition at the 1992 Olympics, winning every game by at least 32 points.

It's also worth noting that 11 of the 12 players on the Dream Team are currently in the Hall of Fame. Neither the 2008 roster nor the one four years later can say it boasts 11 future Hall of Famers.

That said, it's fair to wonder whether the 2008 or 2012 squads were actually better basketball teams than the 1992 counterpart. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were greatly diminished versions of themselves by the Dream Team era, and it's fair to point out the international competition was significantly easier in 1992 versus 16 or 20 years later.

As far as the debate between 2008 and 2012 goes, it'll likely depend on how you want to build a team. The 2008 squad was a Kobe Bryant outfit with versions of LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard that were great but still yet to reach their apex form. The team four years later featured arguably the best ever-version of James, along with Paul and Carmelo Anthony at the peak of their powers. Bryant took more of an elder statesman's role, while Durant blossomed as the team's leading scorer at age 23.

Given his 30-point masterpiece in the United States' gold medal win over Spain, it's easy to see why Durant might have a special place in his heart for the 2012 squad.

Rival executives reportedly believe Kevin Durant was trying to stir the pot by suggesting the only way for the Brooklyn Nets to keep him was by firing general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Monday that KD issued the ultimatum to Nets governor Joe Tsai over the weekend, which led to a Twitter post from Tsai on Monday night.

NBA insider Marc Stein provided an update to the situation Thursday:

There is a growing belief among rival teams that Durant knew when he issued that me-or-them ultimatum that Tsai had no intention of yielding to the request and firing Marks and Nash. One resultant theory that the Durant/Tsai meeting spawned is the idea KD has begun trying to manufacture as much behind-the-scenes discord as he can in hopes that it will lead the Nets to lower their asking price and trade him out of exasperation.

Durant trade talks have been sluggish since he requested a move in late June. While there's interest in the 12-time All-Star, the Nets have maintained a sky-high asking price.

Tsai and Co. have expressed in private conversations they will "take every last asset from a team that trades for Durant," per Charania.

So it wouldn't be a surprise if KD and his camp are exploring ways to tank his own value to help put pressure on Brooklyn's front office to make a deal, as Stein suggested.

Whether it'll work is a tough question to answer because Durant's side doesn't have a ton of leverage since he's just starting a four-year, $194.2 million contract.

The 33-year-old superstar could hold out to open training camp, but it's unclear whether he's willing to sacrifice any or all of his $42.9 million base salary for 2022-23 by sitting out once the regular season gets underway.

Charania reported the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors remain the teams with the most interest should the Nets' asking price begin to fall.

If a Durant trade is eventually found, it could start a whirlwind of movement not only for the Nets but the rest of the NBA, as well.

The trade market has come to a halt for two reasons: the Durant situation and the price paid by the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Utah Jazz for Rudy Gobert, which included four first-round draft picks and a pick swap.

In turn, the asking prices for the likes of KD and Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell are approaching "objectively nonsensical" levels that could lead to a moment where the trade market "collapses in on itself," per Fred Katz of The Athletic.

Meanwhile, dealing Durant would almost guarantee the Nets would also move on from Kyrie Irving, who's been heavily linked to the Los Angeles Lakers.

It creates a lot of intrigues and the league's balance of power could shift significantly over the next few months, but so far there's no sign a Durant blockbuster is imminent as the stare down continues in Brooklyn.

The Boston Celtics want Kevin Durant, and he apparently wants them back.

That said, Boston is driving a pretty hard bargain if it hopes to land the 12-time All-Star.

Kurt Helin of NBC Sports reported the Celtics are not making Robert Williams III available in trade talks with the Brooklyn Nets.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the Nets have asked for Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and multiple draft picks in exchange for Durant. Boston's initial offer included Derrick White, Brown and a future draft pick.

The Celtics have been hesitant to include Smart, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, along with Brown in trade packages.

While Brown is likely the best centerpiece Brooklyn can expect in any trade, the Nets clearly have their eyes on starrier role players than White and more future draft-pick compensation.

Williams and Smart were the anchors of the world-beating defense that led the Celtics to an Eastern Conference championship last season. Smart became the first guard to win DPOY since Gary Payton in 1995-96, while Williams took a leap as an interior menace with the lateral quickness to adequately switch on pick-and-rolls.

The Celtics defense allowed 3.7 points more points per 100 possessions with Williams on the bench, and their defense was 1.5 points better with Smart on the floor, according to Basketball Reference. A defensive downturn was particularly noticeable when Williams missed time in the postseason, playing a part in the Celtics needing seven games to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat.

It's understandable that the Celtics would be hesitant to part with Williams or Smart; they're arguably the Eastern Conference favorite even without Durant.

That said, it's not particularly realistic. Brown, as great as he is, has never sniffed being an All- NBA player. He's six years into his career and may have topped out as good-but-not-great. Durant is a once-in-a-generation talent, even as he approaches age 34.

If the Celtics want to pull off the blockbuster, they will likely have to bend and include either Smart or Williams at some point.

Kevin Durant reportedly stopped the Brooklyn Nets from trading away Kyrie Irving at some point last season.

According to FS1 NBA insider Ric Bucher on his On The Ball with Ric Bucher podcast (h/t Hoops Hype), KD shot down the idea of a Kyrie trade, and the Nets decided to honor his wishes.

Bucher added that he has been told Durant and Irving are still good friends, but Durant may no longer value Kyrie as a teammate as much as he did when he reportedly prevented the Nets from trading him.

Last season, the Nets initially vowed to not let Irving play at all unless he received the COVID-19 vaccine since New York City protocols would have prevented him from playing in the team's home games.

Eventually, the Nets softened their stance, as multiple players went down with injuries, while others tested positive for COVID-19. That opened the door for Kyrie to be a part-time player, appearing only in road games.

The NYC protocols were ultimately changed by the end of the season, allowing Irving to play at Barclays Center despite not being vaccinated.

Despite the presence of Durant and Irving, the Nets were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.

The Nets acquired James Harden from the Houston Rockets during the 2020-21 season in order to form a triumvirate of stars with KD and Kyrie, but the trio hardly played together, primarily due to injuries.

Harden was ultimately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers prior to last season's deadline for a package headlined by Ben Simmons. While Simmons never played last season due to a back issue, the expectation is that he'll be back in 2022-23.

The Nets could have a contending team if Durant, Irving, Simmons and others are healthy and playing, but it remains a mystery whether Durant or Irving will be with the team next season.

In June, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t ESPN's Tim Bontemps) reported that Durant's business manager, Rich Kleiman, told him KD had requested a trade despite having signed a four-year contract extension with the Nets last year.

Kyrie somewhat surprisingly opted into the final year of his contract with the Nets in 2022-23, but Wojnarowski reported at the time that before opting in, Irving had provided the organization with a list of teams he wanted them to pursue a sign-and-trade deal with.

To this point, the Nets seemingly haven't gotten an offer to their liking for either Durant or Irving, so the possibility remains that they could be teammates again next season.

In the three seasons since Durant and Irving signed with Brooklyn, the team hasn't made it past the second round of the playoffs, which can't be considered anything other than a bitter disappointment.

Next season could represent the final attempt of Durant and Irving to salvage something in Brooklyn, or it is possible they have already played their final game together.

Draymond Green won two championships with Kevin Durant and a gold medal with Carmelo Anthony, so few people in history are better suited than him to decide which one is the better scorer between the pair of future Hall of Famers.

While he admitted it was a "pick 'em" and you couldn't go wrong with either choice, he gave the nod to Anthony after some deliberation on his podcast.

"And the reason I'm going to go with Melo is I grew up watching Melo score the basketball," Green said. "... I grew up watching Melo get a bucket however he wanted. You wanted mid-post work? First step is crazy. You wanted straight block work? Fadeaway is tough, and Melo will bully the hell out of somebody. You want the trey ball? We all know he can do that."

He also pointed to an anecdote from a time he went up against Anthony at Madison Square Garden as further support for his choice.

Anthony apparently went straight through Green's chest on a play during the latter's first or second season in the league but did not get a foul call. However, he yelled at the official and pulled off the exact same move on the next trip down the floor and got to the free-throw line the second time.

Green pointed out the ability to get to the charity stripe is the best way to avoid slumps or snap out of them as a scorer.

From a total body of work standpoint, Durant's résumé is better than Anthony. KD has two championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, a league MVP, four scoring titles, 10 All-NBA selections and 12 All-Star nods.

By comparison, Anthony has one scoring title, six All-NBA selections and 10 All-Star nods.

Durant has also averaged 27.2 points per game in his career to Anthony's 22.5. What's more, the former has the advantage in free throw attempts per game at 7.6 to 6.2, which Green highlighted as a key for any go-to scorer.

It should be noted that the Michigan State product would seemingly be fine with either pick given how close he said it was between the pair. The seven-time All-Defensive selection is also one of the best defenders of his generation, so he is familiar with how difficult it is to stop elite scorers.

Perhaps there was some nostalgia at play in his selection considering he said he watched Anthony play growing up, and he gave the nod to the Syracuse product over his former Golden State Warriors teammate.

Kevin Durant "would like to play with" Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart if the Brooklyn Nets sent him to the Celtics in a trade, according to SNY's Ian Begley.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported July 25 the Celtics were willing to trade Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and a draft pick for Durant but balked when Brooklyn requested Smart and more draft picks to be included.

When it comes to Durant's preferences, The Athletic's Sam Amick filed a similar report July 1 about the 12-time All-Star's desires in Miami. "Durant, it seems, would only want to play on a Heat team that includes Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry," Amick wrote.

In that case, though, Amick listed off three of Miami's best trade assets, one of whom (Adebayo) would presumably be viewed as the cornerstone in any deal from the Nets' perspective.

Boston could take Smart off the table and still assemble an attractive package built around Brown. Some combination of Brown along with White, Robert Williams III, Grant Willams or Payton Pritchard plus picks isn't bad.

The bigger hurdle is Brooklyn's potential reluctance to send Durant to another Eastern Conference team, especially one in the same division.

Charania reported Monday that Durant told team governor Joe Tsai the organization had to choose between him or head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks. Tsai's response left little doubt about how he's handling the matter:

In his report, Charania reported, "Tsai and the Nets have made clear privately that they will take every last asset from a team that trades for Durant."

One presumes Brooklyn would be especially demanding if a rival such as the Celtics was on the other side of the bargaining table. Why not consider Smart a dealbreaker?

The Nets could certainly use the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Their first-round picks for the foreseeable future are either owed to the Houston Rockets or tied to the Rockets in pick swaps.

Following a Durant trade, Marks or whoever is running the team would have to thread a difficult needle between remaining respectable while building another championship contender. The presence of Smart would help raise the Nets' floor in a post-Durant future.

The Philadelphia 76ers could enter the sweepstakes for Kevin Durant with the Brooklyn Nets still seeking a trade partner.

"As of earlier this week, there were high-ranking members of the Sixers who've felt strongly about engaging with Brooklyn on a Durant trade," Ian Begley of SNY reported.

A potential deal would "almost certainly" include point guard Tyrese Maxey, per Begley, while Tobias Harris and Matisse Thybulle were also listed as possible options for a trade package.

The 76ers likely won't want to part with Maxey, who recently earned high praise from head coach Doc Rivers.

"He's the most impressive young player I've ever had in 21 years of coaching," Rivers said on The VC Show.

The 21-year-old more than doubled his scoring average in 2021-22 while finishing with 17.5 points and 4.3 assists per game. He especially stood out in the playoffs with 20.8 points per game.

There is still plenty of appeal for Philadelphia in completing a trade and going into 2022-23 with a Big Three of Durant, Joel Embiid and James Harden. They obviously would need to learn how to play together, but that trio combined to win eight of the past 13 scoring titles.

Durant and Embiid would also be under contract through 2025-26, giving an extended window for contention.

Though the Sixers are seemingly always among the best in the Eastern Conference, they haven't gotten past the second round of the playoffs since 2001.

Durant first requested a trade in June and reportedly reiterated the demand for the Nets to choose between him or the combination of head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Brooklyn continues to seek a deal, with Charania naming the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors as the "most significant candidates."

Philadelphia could still be an intriguing destination if the front office wants to go that path.

The Brooklyn Nets are going to drive a hard bargain when it comes to a potential trade for Kevin Durant.

They even reportedly asked the Boston Celtics for their two best players in early talks, according to a report from Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe:

"Brooklyn initially tried to pry both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown from Boston. That proposal went nowhere, of course. The source confirmed recent reports that Brooklyn later shifted its focus to a potential deal centered on Brown, Marcus Smart and a massive haul of future first-round draft picks. But the Celtics were not interested."

On Monday, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the Nets have "set a sky-high threshold for the return the franchise wants for Durant" and that Brooklyn governor Joe Tsai and the team "have made clear privately that they will take every last asset from a team that trades for Durant, sources said."

Within that context, asking for both Tatum and Brown in initial trade talks doesn't come as a huge surprise, even if the Nets surely knew it would be a nonstarter for Boston.

Shams' report came after Durant met with Tsai and reportedly reiterated his desire to be traded. He additionally requested that he either be dealt or that the team fire head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks, reportedly telling Tasi he "does not have faith in the team's direction."

It didn't take long for Tsai to make his choice:

The Nets remain in limbo, with the futures of both Durant and Kyrie Irving—who is heading into the final year of his contract after exercising his $36.5 million player option—in question.

The Celtics have emerged as a potential contender in trade talks involving Durant, largely because they could build an offer around a young talent like Brown. The question is whether it would make sense to break apart the young duo of Tatum (24) and Brown (25) after a trip to the NBA Finals this season and the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2019-20 campaign, all for the 33-year-old Durant.

Brown didn't put his best foot forward in the 2022 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, averaging 23.5 points per game in the series but turning the ball over 10 times between Games 5 and 6. His handle looked suspect against the Dubs.

Durant unquestionably would be an immediate upgrade. But Brown is just entering his prime years and has already proved he can help lead the C's deep into the playoffs. Boston may not be willing to give up on his potential just yet.

Certainly, the Celtics were never going to entertain trading both Tatum and Brown.

If Kevin Durant's ultimate goal is to be traded away from the Brooklyn Nets, he apparently didn't help himself with his reported ultimatum.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Durant met with Nets governor Joe Tsai and said Brooklyn needs to either fire the combination of head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks or trade him.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Tuesday the move didn't help Durant's trade value, suggesting he "has very much limited his options" while adding, "as I talked to teams out there, they don't think this increased his trade value. They think this hurt his trade value."

Tsai notably responded to the report with a tweet offering support to Nash and Marks and saying the plan is to "make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets."

That Durant is apparently done playing for Nash was something of a surprise considering their relationship seemed to be strong in the past. They bonded when Nash was a special adviser for the Golden State Warriors, and Durant even publicly supported his coach after last season's playoff loss.

"Steve has been dealt a crazy hand the last two years," Durant told reporters in April when saying he was the right coach for the team.

Windhorst reflected on the timing of the latest development.

"The timing of it is also unusual," he said. "While star players have gotten coaches fired for decades and will get them fired for decades, he didn't express this, as far as I'm aware, to the Nets at the end of the season. And he didn't express this to the Nets when he made his trade demand. So doing it now is a maneuver. A maneuver that I don't think worked."

It has seemingly always been something with the Nets of late, whether it was Kyrie Irving missing most of the 2021-22 campaign because he was unvaccinated against COVID-19, trading James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers to break up a superstar trio that rarely got to play together or seeing Ben Simmons not take the court at all after he came to Brooklyn in that deal.

The team was swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs and now has something of a mess on its hands with the Durant situation.

That the ultimatum reportedly hurts his trade value makes life more difficult for the front office, which Charania reported already set a "sky-high threshold for the return" in any Durant deal.

An offer that was good enough in Brooklyn's eyes to accept hasn't happened yet, which could create something of an awkward situation when the season starts if Durant is still on the roster and Nash is still the head coach.

His trade value is likely also somewhat diminished by the fact he turns 34 years old next month and has dealt with durability issues of late while missing the 2019-20 campaign, playing 35 games in 2020-21 and playing 55 games last season.