Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving landed in Brooklyn in 2019, ready to build something huge at Barclays Center. They’ve been playing for two years now since KD was injured the first season with the Nets, but nothing has happened for this team, with struggles being the common thing for them.
Both on-court and off-court issues have hurt the Nets, who are now trying to send a message to the rest of the league and show that they can win a championship with KD and Kyrie leading the way. After another disappointing playoff exit last year, the Nets are trying to make a statement with their new-look roster, but things won’t be that easy for them.
Kevin Durant wasn’t convinced that the team was on the right path and requested a trade. This move reportedly would have dismantled the team, as they planned to move Kyrie if Durant left.
Kevin Durant And Kyrie Irving Don’t Have The Best Relationship
In the end, KD withdrew his trade request and decided to move on with the team. However, according to an NBA reporter, some within the roster were ready to keep going whether Durant was there or not.
ESPN’s Nick Friedell recently covered the Nets’ media day, revealing some details about the relationship between Kyrie and KD. According to Friedell, the two stars aren’t as close as people think, and Kyrie was ready to lead the Nets even if KD was traded somewhere else (42:07).
“It backs up with what I was told several times, even in the last couple of months. Kevin and Kyrie are very close, they have a very solid relationship. They are not always as close as it was made out to be publicly.
“And Kyrie acknowledged it, ‘I’m always gonna be happy for Kevin, I want what’s best for him. I want him to be here but if he wasn’t gonna be here and that didn’t make him happy in his basketball life then I had to deal with him going somewhere else.’”
These two appeared to be very close when they made the decision to join forces in Brooklyn three years ago. The Nets had high expectations for these duo, but things haven’t clicked for them so far. The addition of James Harden wasn’t enough to compete, and now with Ben Simmons, they have a new opportunity.
This team carries big pressure on their shoulders entering this season, and Durant and Irving are expected to show they can actually win in Brooklyn. Another disappointing season could mean the end of this experiment, but they’re ready to go out there, put up a show and win some games.
