Former NBA All-Star Kenyon Martin is not a fan of the way Kyrie Irving handled this season for the Nets.
Speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio after Brooklyn’s series defeat against Boston, the 15-year veteran laid into the star point guard and explained why Kevin Durant should have a problem with him.
“I would have had a major, major issue with Kyrie Irving if I was Kevin Durant. I could have went anywhere else and picked anyone else to play with. But we made the decision together to come here and do this. And this season, you failed me as a friend, as a teammate, as a brother, as a competitor. All of those things you failed me at. Ain’t no way I’m out here exchanging handhshakes with you and you did that to me.” We signed up for this together. So you say you give a voice to the voiceless. Okay cool, what about us? What about these people, what about these guys that you have to compete with, who you signed up to do this with? Are we just supposed to sit back and accept this? Nah, that was unacceptable to me.”
Martin also said that Durant made the wrong decision back in 2019 and that he should completely split from Irving.
“And I think he did pick the wrong situation, especially from where he came from. He could have stayed in Golden State, they could have ironed out their differences. They could have ran the league for the foreseeable future. But he made the decision to come and play with Kyrie.”
“If not him, then trade me. He has to go man because it’s not about us,” Martin said when asked if Durant should ask the Nets to trade Irving. “We athletes are selfish to a certain degree, but when that selfishness comes before our team and what we’re trying to accomplish, then that’s a problem.”
"I would have had a major, major issue with Kyrie Irving if I was Kevin Durant"
Former #Nets Power Forward @KenyonMartinSr tells @EvCoRadio and @DarthAmin why there should be major changes in Brooklyn #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/JdUUqy8ZrA
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) April 26, 2022
The future has never been more uncertain for the Nets. After another playoff dud, many questions have surfaced about the Durant and Irving duo and how it will all work going forward. Will they, and should they, stay together after such a disastrous season?
Ultimately, it will be up to Kevin Durant to decide how the future plays out. As the best and most reliable player, Durant can decide who stays and who goes. But if he agrees with Kenyon Martin, there is a chance Kyrie could be one of the first ones to go.
