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Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Golden State Warriors and pursue an opportunity with the Brooklyn Nets largely hinged in a unique opportunity to play alongside some of his close friends.
The team's recruiting pitch was simply to align Durant's close friend Kyrie Irving and bring in another buddy of his in DeAndre Jordan, who reportedly agreed to a comfortable four-year, $40 million deal, despite the Nets already having a starting-caliber center in Jarrett Allen.
“Seems the real driving force was the opportunity to play with his good friends,” said his biographer, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. “It’s not surprising that such an opportunity matters to Durant.”
Durant took $57 million less to sign with the Nets than what he could have gotten by returning to the Warriors. Same goes for Irving, whose four-year, $141.3 million deal was considerably less than the max.
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Jordan was given a long-term deal, even if his defensive skills and motor had been seen to decrease in the past two seasons.
Brooklyn's best pitch was to spread the money around Durant's friends and sell him on a four-year future of playing together with a core that can challenge for titles.
That future will have to wait though, as Durant is expected to miss the 2019-20 season with a torn Achilles, one he will likely need the full season to recover from. Meanwhile, being around his close friends could prove a comfy enough support system to help him get through the injury.
