Suns’ Kevin Durant discusses Kyrie Irving trade and leaving Nets
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant played 129 games for the Brooklyn Nets over the course of three-plus seasons with the team. During that time, there was a lot of hype surrounding Brooklyn since they had a combination of superstars, Durant and Kyrie Irving, that could potentially win a championship. However, things did not work that way as the furthest the Nets made it in the playoffs was the 2021 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals before they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Despite the amount of belief in the team’s ability to win a title, especially after trading for James Harden on Feb. 10, 2022, the organization consistently performed below expectations. Not only that, but there was a good amount of drama surrounding the team as well from reports saying that Durant and Irving did not want to play for Kenny Atkinson (which possibly led to his firing) to Irving having his controversial views on certain topics.
Things came to pass on Feb. 6 when Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. That trade essentially changed the course of the Brooklyn franchise for years to come as Durant requested his own trade (for the second time) after Irving was traded and Durant was traded shortly after. When the trades happened, there was a lot of talk over why the Nets collapsed after so much promise. Durant spoke with Shams Charania of The Athletic to discuss the Irving trade and how Durant views the Nets after his trade:
Durant on the Kyrie Irving trade
“Once he asked out, I was just trying to figure out what direction the team is going in. Once I had no understanding of what direction we’re going in, I tried to make the best decision for me.”
Durant on if he feels vindicated for leaving the Nets
“Nah. Hell nah. I want the best for that organization. I wanted the best for us every game. I hated it had to go down like that. I wasn’t trying to prove the Nets is a s—ty organization. I was trying to prove that the Nets are a great organization, that they care about their players, want the best for their players. Certain s— just didn’t work out. I understand that. I’m not here trying to prove that the Nets was wrong, I think they did amazing by me the whole time I was there, not just with the trade. Coming off the Achilles injury, get back into playing — they made sure they were there for me every step of the way. And I appreciate that for life. I feel like we’ll be tied as family members for life regardless of how it finished.”
