Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were tied at the hip throughout the majority of their time with the Brooklyn Nets. That's what made it so surprising when Irving did not inform Durant of his intention to request a trade ahead of this year's deadline.
Both were in the midst of career seasons, leading a resurgence in Brooklyn that saw the Nets win 18 of 20, the best stretch in franchise history. Durant was out with an MCL sprain but was primed to return following the All-Star break. With a vastly improved supporting cast compared to last season, Brooklyn had an opportunity to make a long-anticipated run at the title. Irving's request ended those hopes.
Durant recently opened up about his co-star's surprise decision on his podcast, The ETCs.
“I’m disappointed that we didn’t finish the season, but I also know that we’re all our own separate entities,” Kevin Durant said of Kyrie Irving's trade request. “We all move and do the things that we wanna do for our careers. I can’t fault somebody for doing that, even though it might have been at our expense as a team. But that's who he is and that’s what he wanted to and I can’t have a problem with that.”
“I don’t wanna act like I wasn’t upset that we didn’t finish the season because I love playing with Kai, I wanted to see where we can go with that because we were both playing at a high level. … We haven’t had a conversation but eventually we will.”
Irving quickly found himself in Dallas alongside Luka Doncic after his trade request. The departure of his co-star prompted conversations between Durant and Brooklyn about the future of the franchise, during which the former MVP requested a trade to the Phoenix Suns. Durant got his wish the morning of the deadline, with the Nets trading him for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, four first-round picks, two second-round picks (thanks to Jae Crowder) and one pick swap.
While the 13-time All-Star said he and the team felt the deal “worked for both sides,” he admitted that not finishing the once-promising Nets season was tough to stomach.
“It impacted what we did on the floor, no doubt about that, not tryna undercut that. That hurt, not finishing out the season,” Durant said of Irving's decision. “But I can separate what we do on the floor and who we are as human beings. I know you got your own situation that’s got nothing to do with what we doing. You gotta move how you gotta move for the betterment of you. So I get that part of it.
“I probably wouldn’t have understood that seven or eight years ago. I've been through my situations with moving teams and feeling like I needed a new situation. I’ve been through it all, so I understand your viewpoint on that. I can still be upset that we didn’t finish the job, but like (you're) cool with me.”
"It impacted what we did on the floor, no doubt about that, not tryna undercut that. That hurt, not finishing out the season. But I can separate what we do on the floor and who we are as human beings. I know you got your own situation that’s got nothing to do with what we doing.… https://t.co/tVZokyPZXk pic.twitter.com/DSi8yY6oMh
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) February 28, 2023
The Nets turned the page to a new era following the pair of blockbuster trades, moving forward with a core of Bridges, Johnson, Nic Claxton, Spencer Dinwiddie and Cam Thomas, as well as a stockpile of draft picks. Irving and Durant will compete against one another in a suddenly loaded Western Conference.
Some may find it surprising, and somewhat telling, that Durant and Irving have not spoken to each other since the dramatic ending to their time in Brooklyn. The duo's Nets tenure was marred by off-court drama and severely underwhelming on-court results. It's a reality Kevin Durant appears to have accepted, at least publicly.
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