Trending in NBA: Nowitzki helps Mavericks rebound while Durant chases Kareem

“I was very candid with him,” Popovich said. “I told him I would be happy to trade him. ‘You get me a talent like Kevin Durant and I will drive you to the airport. I will pack your bags and I will drive you there,’ and he laughed. And I said, ‘Short of that I am your best buddy, and you are here for another year and you ain’t going nowhere because for you, talent-wise, we are not going to get what we want, so let’s figure this thing out.’ And we did.”