That’s the takeaway from Tuesday’s statement from the Brooklyn Nets announcing that the organization and its disgruntled superstar have “agreed to move forward with our partnership” following a meeting in Los Angeles between the two sides. This is the partnership that just a few weeks ago Durant asked to be dissolved in order to be sent to the team of his choice. It was a meeting attended by the owner, Joe Chai, and the two men Durant had asked to be fired if he was going to stay — coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks. Now? Now the would-be divorcees claim they are “focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: to build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn.” That’s an exciting fall for Durant, and a seismic shift from the normal course of things when NBA superstars make demands, no matter how far-fetched they seem at the time. Perhaps two of the most egregious examples of games run too close and dear enough to the Nets that they finally had enough — for themselves and, perhaps now, in a power shift in the NBA at large. First it was James Harden who wanted out of Houston and then, ironically, out of Brooklyn, eventually landing in Philly. And, second, but related, was Ben Simmons who turned down the Sixers and headed to Brooklyn, where he… has yet to play a single minute of basketball. Both players got what they wanted. So does almost every other superstar when he’s unhappy — a list at one point that included Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard and others. Now there’s a precedent for teams looking to fight back a bit of the upper hand, a move made possible in large part by KD’s hard-nosed approach to things. Power is a terrible weapon when used wisely, because if you don’t know how to manage it you can suddenly find it in the hands of someone else. When this mess first unfolded in July with Durant’s first now-failed ultimatum, we argued that the Nets, for a variety of reasons, should just say no to him. That’s as true now as it was then, but Durant sure made it look easy for Brooklyn. This is a world-class player with four years on his contract who was always far less likely than Simmons to miss time because, as anyone in the NBA will tell you, Durant loves to go hoop. It’s a passion, a commendable and key ingredient to his all-time greatness, and he’s never been likely to willingly take time away from the game he loves. This was the first point in favor of the Nets. It also helped that Kyrie Irving’s meltdown meant the Nets were always going to try to resolve Durant’s situation first and — just as importantly — require a big enough comeback to dismantle a team with the high expectations that come with the Durant- Kyrie. This wasn’t some team with a lone superstar and no real championship run like, say, the Denver Nuggets team Carmelo Anthony was forced out of a decade ago. The Nets were a contender, at least on paper, and that meant Marks had to get the right return to save his job. Sometimes, when you have no other choice, you have a strange kind of freedom. This is where the Nets GM found himself. All of that was lost on Durant when he unwisely went to London and told Tsai that the owner had to choose between him and Nash and Marks. Here’s a good rule to live by: Don’t try to strongarm billionaires. Then, still not having read the situation accurately, Durant or those around him clearly leaked the ultimatum, trying to put pressure on Tsai to bend to his will. A second rule to observe, closely related to the first: Don’t then try to pressure these billionaires publicly after the private strong-arm tactic has failed. Now, it’s true that both sides still get something out of this, except for the we-are-all-in-this-together hoax they’re trying to sell. While Durant could still be clean this season, this isn’t a lock, and each side can get something out of the other in this deal. This statement is a perfect way for Brooklyn to tell the Grizzlies, Celtics, Suns, Heat, and any other potential suitors who dreamed of a KD acquisition, that price is price. Brooklyn has leveraged these teams publicly and forcefully with the best tool to get the Durant deal they want — the threat of him staying. So, Durant & Co., you do it. And Durant gets something, too. It is enough to make a wreath. He’s gearing up for an NBA season, likely with the Nets, but maybe elsewhere, with a (less) distracting training camp and a clear focus on basketball the keys to getting him off to a solid start. He loves the game and continues to play it and that’s something. But don’t let the news obscure the fact that Durant lost the very public game that started in the most public way. The coach he asked to be fired will still be his coach. The GM who asked to be fired is still responsible. The group he refused to be a part of, for now, still retains his services. And the team owner who eyed his muscles showed exactly what cutting power looks like.
