In the continuing wake of superstar Kevin Durant requesting a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, fans and experts alike continue to pick at the former MVP’s reputation and place amongst the greats.
Durant, who appears to want to jump ship since things haven’t gone according to plan in Brooklyn, is facing a lot of backlash for the decision.
In a recent interview, former NBA big man Scot Pollard sliced apart the notion that Durant has been an alpha leader on all of the championship teams he’s been on.
Of course, Durant joined an already dominant Golden State Warriors team in 2016 and went on to win two titles with the team.
"Too many players believe that they are 'the guy'."@ScotPollard31 weighs in on a problem that the NBA faces today pic.twitter.com/5StJl55SM6
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 16, 2022
Though Durant did win Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018, there is precedent for the argument that Pollard is making.
After all, Durant received a lot of criticism for joining what was believed to be the best team in the NBA in the summer of 2016. Prior to Durant’s decision to join, the Warriors lost in shocking fashion to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.
However, that same team that lost in the Finals had dominated all season long. They broke the regular season record for wins by going 73-9.
Durant’s biggest detractors have even said that his two titles with the Warriors should have asterisks next to them when talking about his career accomplishments.
It will be interesting to see where Durant heads if the Nets do end up honoring his trade request. Right now, the three teams that have been mentioned as top options are the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat and Boston Celtics.
All three teams have made it to the NBA Finals in recent years.
