NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have gone from being the NBA’s signature attraction on Christmas Day to a team known for endless speculation, controversy and dysfunction.
The latest plot twists are courtesy of Kevin Durant who wants to be traded unless owner Joe Tsai tells GM Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash to hit the bricks. While this story has provided sizzle to the NBA offseason, it’s bad for business.
No one likes uncertainty. And that’s what Durant, one of the NBA’s marquee attractions, has served up. Now, even Durant, or Tsai, cannot provide guidance to the league’s national TV partners (Turner Sports, ESPN) on when, or how many times, they should schedule the Nets next season.
Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network (TV home of the Nets) suits cannot tell advertisers if Durant, who signed a four-year, $198 million contract extension in 2021, will be in Brooklyn to start the season. Without Durant, the value of the Nets to YES, and what it can charge advertisers to purchase commercials, takes a hit. Without Durant, the arrow also points down when it comes to selling Nets season ticket subscriptions and corporate sponsorships.
It’s like slowly pulling a band-aid off a wound. Pain is coming. You just don’t know when. If Durant were traded quickly, which is not likely to happen, the Nets could move on and have time to start selling a “new” team that still might feature Kyrie Irving and maybe even Ben Simmons. Value, both in ratings projections and advertising sales, would come into clearer focus.
Yet, if the situation remains the same, everything pertaining to Nets business must be prefaced: With or without Kevin?
Like last week on ESPN’s “NBA Today” (it must have attracted more August eyeballs than usual from those tuning in to follow the Durant story) when the panel was going over projected NBA win totals, and they got to the Nets, one panelist wondered: “With or without Durant?”
While this game of chicken is bad for Nets, and league, business, it tickles the fancy of anyone subscribing to the notion the NBA product is more entertaining off the court. For those who like a spotlight on reality, the current Nets/Durant drama is better than any fictionalized, scripted version of an NBA team.
If Durant is still with the Nets in training camp, and Nash/Marks are still employed by the team, imagine the tension surrounding all involved? On ESPN’s “NBA Today,” front office “insider” Bobby Marks said Durant could relieve some of the pressure by addressing the team, telling them that as long as he is in Brooklyn, he will be giving his all, playing to win.
That might temporarily cool things down, but it won’t kill the story. It will be discussed on a daily basis and be a part of any Nets national or local telecasts. The day-to-day anxiety will continue; reaffirming the notion the NBA is a player’s league. Will the Durant situation, especially if it drags on, become a tipping point?
The current NBA TV contract with ESPN and Turner Sports, worth $24 billion, expires after the 2024-25 season. It has been speculated the NBA is looking for $75 billion in its next deal.
Can the owners expect that kind of dough from their TV partners when they can’t even guarantee superstars, under contract, will be a part of their team’s roster?
