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SPORTS Wednesday 24 august 2022
Durant, Nets plan to move forward together instead of trade

By BRIAN MAHONEY It would have been hard
AP Basketball Writer for Durant to find many bet-
NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin ter situations, and the Nets
Durant and the Brooklyn likely had little interest in
Nets are staying together. trying to land him one. Few
A trade request that jolted teams could have offered
the franchise and dominat- the type of trade pack-
ed NBA headlines has been age the Nets would have
removed. The Nets will re- sought and still been able
turn next season with their to remain a championship
All-Star forward in uniform contender.
— and with their champi- The Nets believed they had
onship hopes intact. built one in the 2020-21 sea-
The Nets said Tuesday that son after acquiring James
the team’s leadership met Harden to play with Durant
a day earlier with Durant and Irving. But they dealt
and business partner Rich with injuries throughout that
Kleiman in Los Angeles and season and were eliminat-
“agreed to move forward ed by eventual champion
with our partnership,” gen- Milwaukee in seven games
eral manager Sean Marks in the Eastern Conference
said in a statement. semifinals, despite Durant
Marks attended the meet- scoring 48 points in the final
ing along with coach Steve game, the most ever in a
Nash and owners Joe and Game 7.
Clara Wu Tsai. Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant smiles during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Durant was brilliant again
“We are focusing on bas- Indiana Pacers at the Barclays Center, Sunday, Apr. 10, 2022, in New York. last season but couldn’t
ketball, with one collec- Associated Press save a season that was
tive goal in mind: build a marred by Irving missing
lasting franchise to bring a came at the end of a tur- The uncertainty around Du- spot in the East before he most of Brooklyn’s home
championship to Brooklyn,” bulent year in Brooklyn. rant’s future in Brooklyn like- suffered a knee injury that games because he re-
Marks added. A championship favorite ly contributed to the Nets sidelined him for 21 games. fused to get vaccinated
That is certainly more likely before last season began, being left off the five-game With Durant, Irving and Ben against the coronavirus.
by keeping Durant, who re- the Nets barely made the Christmas lineup and being Simmons, who is expected Harden then asked to be
mains one of the best scor- playoffs and then were scheduled to appear only to return after not playing traded and was swapped
ers in the NBA. He is set to bounced by Boston in four eight times on ABC and for the Nets last season fol- in the deal for Simmons in
begin a four-year extension games in the first round. ESPN. lowing his trade from Phila- February. All of that likely
he signed last summer, and The Nets then refused to But with Durant, the Nets delphia, the Nets will have frustrated Durant, who left
the possibility of him being give a contract extension can still be one of the best a top trio. Joe Harris also will Golden State in 2019 after
traded had been the big- to Kyrie Irving, Durant’s teams in the Eastern Con- be back after the two-time two championships in three
gest story in the NBA this close friend, forcing him to ference. He averaged a NBA leader in 3-point per- seasons to come with Irving
summer. pick up his option for next franchise-record 29.9 points centage was limited to just to Brooklyn.
It’s unknown exactly why season, the final year of his last season, and the Nets 14 games because of left And now, that’s where he’ll
he sought a trade, which deal. were bidding for the top ankle surgery. stay.q

Primoz Roglic takes the lead as Vuelta

returns to Spain

LAGUARDIA, Spain (AP) Basque Country. line in front of Mads Peder-
— The Spanish Vuelta was The Jumbo-Visma rider sen of Trek-Segafredo and
back in Spain. And defend- opened a 13-second gap Movistar’s Enric Mas. It was
ing champion Primoz Ro- in the general classification the third-straight second-
glic was back in the lead. to American teammate place finish for Pedersen,
Roglic showed he is in great Sepp Kuss. Roglic was 26 who was beaten by Sam
form and in position to re- seconds in front of Ethan Bennett in the second and
tain his Vuelta title with a Hayter of Ineos Grenadiers. third stages.
dominant win in the fourth “It’s really just the begin- Roglic enjoyed his 10th
stage on Tuesday as the ning of La Vuelta but it’s stage win overall at the
Grand Tour race returned always better to be 10 sec- Vuelta. His preparations for
to Spanish territory after onds ahead rather than this edition were not ideal Slovenian rider Primoz Roglic of Jumbo Visma team, sprints at
the finish line of the 4th stage of the Vuelta cycling race between
three opening stages in the behind,” Roglic said. “It — because of injuries sus- Vitoria-Gasteiz and Laguardia, in Spain, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022.
Netherlands. was already a hard pace tained in a fall at the Tour Associated Press
Trying to win an unprec- the whole day, with a super de France — and his par-
edented fourth straight fast and hard stage. ticipation confirmed only a Bikeexchange-Jayco fell 51 were hindered by the coro-
Vuelta title, Roglic took The finale was an oppor- few days before the race seconds back overall. navirus pandemic.
the leader’s red jersey af- tunity to fight for the stage started. The first three stages had Riders will face five moun-
ter launching his attack in win. I had the legs so I gave Ineos rider Richard Cara- taken place in the Nether- tain passes in Wednes-
the final meters of the uphill it a go.” paz was 33 seconds off the lands for the first time after day’s fifth stage finishing in
climb into Laguardia in the The Slovenian crossed the lead, and Simon Yates of plans to start there in 2020 Bilbao.q