Kevin Durant absolutely broke every NBA fan's mind when he shockingly requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Not even a day removed from Kyrie Irving's contract decision, the former MVP decided he's had enough of the franchise. Now, the team is left scrambling to pick up the shattered pieces of their superteam.
A big reason for the shock factor of this trade request is Durant's motivation for a trade. Howard Beck, in an article for Sports Illustrated, detailed the bizarre reasoning of the Nets star. According to his article, Durant was dissatisfied with the Nets' chaotic season… and the way the organization treated Kyrie Irving. Beck sums up it perfectly with this line.
“On the one hand, he is said to be disillusioned by the Nets’ disastrous season. On the other hand, he is said to be upset with the team’s stance toward Irving … who was the primary cause of the Nets’ disastrous season.”
Irving's unvaccinated status absolutely threw a big monkey wrench on the Nets' plans for this season. The guard's utter refusal to get the vaccine limited his availability during the regular season, dragging down their overall record. In addition, his absence from practices arguably hurt the team's chemistry as well.
Despite all that, though, it seems like Durant still stands by his close friend. Perhaps there's something that we as outsiders don't know about the two Nets stars. The bond between these two friends is absolutely commendable, but boy, is their bromance hurting the Nets right now.