Throughout Kyrie Irving's ordeal with the Brooklyn Nets, Kevin Durant stood by his buddy. Even though he had the chance (and the right) to criticize Kyrie for causing so much drama, KD decided not to. The former league MVP said that he did not want to get involved and that ultimately, this was Kyrie's decision to make.

Now that Irving has decided to opt-in to his $36.5 million player option with the Nets for next season, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the general expectation is that the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving partnership in Brooklyn is here to stay:

“Kevin Durant was very loyal to Kyrie Irving through this process,” Woj said, via ClutchPoints on Twitter. “… So the expectation right now is that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will move forward for the Nets on this roster this year.”

Related NewsArticle continues below
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) holds onto the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Chase Center.
NBA rumors: Nets, Bulls, Heat named as early Jonathan Kuminga suitors
Giannis fuels trade speculation with New York, Florida admissions
Giannis fuels trade speculation with New York, Florida admissions

Kyrie picking up his player option does not guarantee that he's going to stay with the Nets. As a matter of fact, he is now eligible to be traded to any of the 29 teams in the NBA. According to Woj, however, this isn't going to happen.

Woj also made it clear, though, that for his part, Durant has not spoken out about all this. For all we know, he could still be considering his future with Kyrie.