Kevin Durant showed a token of admiration for fellow star Kyrie Irving in the aftermath of his trade to the Boston Celtics, expressing admiration for his willingness to request a trade to his front office and follow his heart in regards to his career.

“He did what he was supposed to do in Cleveland,” Durant told Bill Simmons as a guest his podcast. “It’s on to the next chapter.”

“I can really appreciate what he did. He stood up for himself, he showed a lot of courage, man, because it’s hard to take that type of criticism. When you just want to play ball. I feel him on that.”

While Durant made his decision through the free agency route, Irving took a much harder, yet necessary approach — asking for a trade while locked midway into a five-year contract with $60 million still left in it.

The Cavs ultimately were able to ship him to Boston after incessantly inquiring all around the league, getting a package of Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and an unprotected first-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets.

Irving's trade request was gutsy, and he took a lot of flack from outsiders and even some of his peers after it became known that he no longer wanted to play alongside LeBron James despite having won a title with him a year ago. Durant in his own way, made the decision to carve his own career path with the Warriors and has been ultimately happy with it, hence the resonance with the 25-year-old star's case.