Kevin Durant Speaks On Kyrie Irving's Nets Trade Request: ‘It Was A Blow’
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The Phoenix Suns held the introductory press conference for Kevin Durant on Thursday. He and T.J. Warren were sent to the Suns by the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and four unprotected future first-round picks.
"It's pressure because I'm one of the best players to ever play the game, so every time I step on the floor, people are going to expect me to do great things and the team I'm on to do great things," Durant said of championship expectations with the Suns. "But I enjoy getting better as a player every day and just waking up and getting to do this."
Many consider the high trade deadline activity attributed to Kyrie Irving requesting his trade before landing with the Dallas Mavericks. The Nets acquired Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith as the main pieces of the trade to send Irving to the Mavs to remain competitive with Durant.
Ultimately, without Irving in the mix, it no longer made sense for Durant to remain with the Nets. He revealed that he had minimal knowledge of what was going on with Irving's situation with the Nets before he requested to be traded. The inability to close the season together was a blow to him and the team.
"I was upset that we couldn’t finish. I thought that we had some good momentum. We were finally building the culture that we always wanted," Durant said. "But I didn’t know what was going on with Kyrie and his situation... It was a blow to our team. That was tough for me to stomach. I loved playing with those guys throughout the year."
Irving had fair reasons to wish to move on from the Nets given he is an NBA All-Star starter that was being asked to have stipulations in his contract that players of his caliber simply do not have. There was added urgency to reach a resolution given he is playing on an expiring $36.5 salary this season.
The Mavs acquired Irving with the intention of gaining his Bird rights to then be able to exceed the salary cap to re-sign him. Had Irving simply played out the season with a team unwilling to give him a contract he desires, it would have negatively impacted his negotiation power in free agency and required cooperation in sign-and-trade scenarios. He faced that situation last summer and couldn't find a solution.
The Nets ultimately were sunk when they made the James Harden trade and it failed in a short period of time. They sent out a lot of talented depth pieces and draft capital in order to acquire the superstar, but the three players rarely got to play together for a long list of reasons that just resulted in a failed product.
"We just didn't get on the court enough. I think when you saw James, Kyrie, and myself, it was amazing basketball for 17 games. But in order for you to win a championship and to be a great team you just need more time on the floor," Durant said. "It's another story about why we didn't get on the floor together... But those are hall-of-fame players that I learned a lot from every day and I'm wishing them the best as well. It just didn't workout."
There are likely details that many who weren't involved in the situation will never be privy to given that Irving alluded to being unsure after the first year if he wanted to be with the Nets organization.
“This was in the works like after Year 1. I was unsure about whether I wanted to be in Brooklyn long-term again because of things that were happening behind the scenes,” Irving said.
Irving's message to Durant after he made his own debut with his new team earlier this month was that he wants what's best for him. The connection they share goes well beyond the game of basketball, but their journeys on the hardwood continues in separate directions after the failed stint.
"I'm just praying for his happiness and well-being. We had a lot of conversations throughout the year of what our futures would look like," Irving said. "We just cared about seeing each other in places we could thrive. ... I'm glad he got out of there."
After spending four years with the Nets organization, including the time he was sidelined as he rehabilitated from a torn Achilles, he is grateful for the connections he has made. Having to leave the situation is an emotional process for him.
"I built a family over there. They're always gonna be a part of my journey... I love those guys. I get emotional talking about them because that was a special 4 years of my career coming off an Achilles. They helped me though a lot."
As Durant seeks to win a championship with Chris Paul and Devin Booker with the Suns, Irving will be competing with Luka Doncic and the Mavs to accomplish the same. The two teams face off for the first time with their new superstars on March 5 at the American Airlines Center.
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