Trade talks over: Kevin Durant, Nets agree to move forward together

BOSTON -- The Kevin Durant trade talks are over. The forward has rescinded his trade request and is remaining in Brooklyn.

That request could always pop back up at some point, but for now, Durant remains a member of the Nets. 

Durant is signed for four more seasons, but requested a trade from the Nets to tip off the NBA's offseason. Rumors and speculation have dominated the headlines since, but the disgruntled star met with Brooklyn brass on Monday in Los Angeles, and all sides have agreed to "move forward in our partnership."    

Nets GM Sean Marks released the following statement Tuesday morning to break the news:

"Steve Nash and I, together with Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday. We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn."

So it would appear all is well in Brooklyn -- at least for now. Durant had previously given Tsai an ultimatum to trade him or fire both Marks and Nash, with Tsai publicly backing his GM and head coach after that demand was made. 

Now, Nets ownership has apparently won its game of chicken with Durant, who will be back alongside Kyrie Irving (for now, at least) to try and bring a championship to Brooklyn. The Nets are looking to bounce back from a first-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics last postseason, following a disappointing and injury-filled regular season campaign.

And as for the Celtics, Boston fans can finally stop debating whether it's worth trading Jaylen Brown and a plethora of other pieces for an all-time talent like Durant. The Celtics were always a favorite to land Durant because of their ability to put Brown in a deal, but now Boston can move forward with its young core of Jayson Tatum, Brown and Marcus Smart, which came up two wins shy of an NBA title last postseason.