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Kyrie Irving's trade request and consequent departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers has drawn comparison to another shocking event of recent memory — Kevin Durant's decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors in the summer of 2016.
While one was a trade and the other a free agent signing, the two manifest a huge hole for their teams as one of two superstars left their Bird rights team for a better opportunity.
Now crowned an NBA champion and with one year of perspective under his belt, Durant offered his respect for Irving, who didn't choose to leave for money or other circumstances, but for the betterment of his basketball career.
“He chose the basketball route,” Durant said Wednesday night after a Golden State Warriors practice, according to Jay King of MassLive. “He chose to go somewhere where he's going to maximize his basketball skills. So a lot of people choose different places for different reasons, whether it's many, whether it's the city, whether it's opportunity for whatever he wanted. But he made a basketball move. And that's the most respected move is to keep it at ball. So he's playing his best basketball. He's stepped into a leadership role and this team has taken off because of him.”
Irving has now proved a much more involved defender and a more outspoken leader under coach Brad Stevens and his system — areas that remained untapped during his stint with the Cavs.
“I don't know Brad (Stevens) as well,” said Durant, who met with the Celtics as a free agent two summers ago. “But just from an Xs and Os standpoint, everybody's touching the ball, everybody's moving, everybody's feeling good about themselves.”
“This is a feel-good game, and as a player, you want your coaches to trust you and put you in positions where you can be most successful. Every player is different. So Brad Stevens is doing a great job of putting every player on his team in good position to do what they do best. And that's what Coach (Steve) Kerr does for our team.”
Durant has noted on several occasions how much he enjoys a different flow to the game, especially one where team play is emphasized. Just like Durant found his basketball nirvana in Golden State, looks like Irving has found his in Boston.
