Deer in headlights: Giannis, Bucks out of character

When Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman requested a meeting with Sean Marks less than 24 hours after the Brooklyn Nets traded it was described as “somber.” Durant told Marks he wanted to be traded and specifically asked to be dealt to the Phoenix Suns. Durant, Kleiman and Marks then Facetimed Joe Tsai, who was at his home in San Diego.

Durant wanted the situation to remain private as he didn’t want a bidding war and days of being the target of speculation.

“At some point, there’s just a fatigue,” one source close to the process said. “There’s just too much drama. Too much uncertainty.”

Durant told the Nets he’d play out the rest of the 22-23 season if they couldn’t find a way to execute the trade with the Suns and he’d find a way to get excited about their new additions in Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith from the Dallas Mavericks.

The Durant deal started as an owner-to-owner call on Monday afternoon as Tsai told Mat Ishbia that Durant wanted a trade to the Suns. Ishbia had attended several Nets’ games over the years as a guest of Tsai and the two had grown to like each other.

Marks and James Jones began working on the details of a trade, and the Nets never came off their asking price.