Sean Marks Asked Nets Training Staff If It Favored Kevin Durant Max Contract
Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks divulged Tuesday that he received input from the team's medical staff before signing Kevin Durant.
In an interview with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Marks said the team doctors and trainers were unanimous in their belief that the Nets should sign KD to a max contract:
"That was a pretty moving moment. When you know there's a group of young men and women that are here saying, 'Hell, we can't wait for that challenge. We cannot wait to sacrifice whatever it takes to get [Durant] out on the court again, and probably prove people wrong.' Again, it’s that sort of chip on your shoulder. [Head coach] Kenny [Atkinson] and I talk about it a lot, players having that. But I think it's also important that your entire organization has something to prove."
Durant suffered a torn Achilles in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, which means he may not be able to play again until the 2020-21 season.
Even so, Brooklyn signed KD to a four-year, $164.26 million max deal as part of a sign-and-trade with the Golden State Warriors.
Along with Durant, the Nets also signed guard Kyrie Irving and center DeAndre Jordan. As part of the Durant deal, they sent All-Star guard D'Angelo Russell to the Warriors as well.
By signing Durant, the Nets may have established themselves as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference in 2020-21, especially with Kawhi Leonard opting to leave the Toronto Raptors in favor of signing with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Assuming Durant does not play next season, the Nets still look like a playoff team on paper after earning the No. 6 seed in the East last season.
A core of Irving, Jordan, Caris LeVert, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen should make the Nets a quality team and a tough squad to oust come playoff time.
Adding Durant to the mix will give Brooklyn two legitimate superstars, and if it can retain LeVert as a restricted free agent next offseason, the Nets may have a third superstar in the making as well.
The Nets have made it past the first round of the playoffs just once in the past 12 years, and they haven't reached the Eastern Conference Finals since going all the way to the NBA Finals in 2003.
Given Brooklyn's relative lack of recent success, the franchise had to leap on a significant opportunity when it was presented with one, and signing the duo of Durant and Irving counts as such.
KD is a 10-time All-Star, two-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP who will go down as one of the greatest players of all time when he retires. It isn't often that those types of players become available when they are still in their prime.
There is risk involved with signing a player who will be 32 and coming off a torn Achilles when he returns, but it is a gamble that could result in a long-awaited championship.
