Kevin Durant Still Loves Kyrie Irving
Rejoice — Bromance is still alive! At least in Brooklyn where, moments ago, The Athletic broke the news that Kevin Durant gave Nets owner Joe Tsai an ultimatum — trade me, or fire Sean Marks and Steve Nash…
After weeks of radio silence from Durant’s camp and half-witted trade rumors concocted by “league sources” desperate for a headline during the few weeks of NBA hibernation, Durant emerged from his depths to have what was described as a “transparent and professional” discussion with Tsai regarding the status of his trade request and potential ways of moving forward. With Durant's new offer to the Nets adding an interesting caveat to his prior request to simply be moved to a different franchise, there’s only one plausible answer to the inevitable question that arises (why?) from his updated demands, and it has nothing to do with the job performance of either of the two heads Durant has moved to the chopping block…
Kevin Durant still loves Kyrie Irving.
The past few weeks had seen an apparent divide created between the two stars beginning with reports of Durant’s trade request, followed by Irving’s wish to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. The star teammates weren’t working or hanging out together away from Brooklyn as they had in previous off-seasons, and all signs indicated that whether their personal relationship had taken a hit or not, their professional relationship needed to be put on hold in the interim.
Today’s news changes that narrative. While it was always likely that at least a portion of Durant’s wish to be moved could be accredited to his disdain for the manner in which Brooklyn handled Irving’s peculiar situation, it was also widely speculated that, on the contrary, Durant was tired of Irving’s antics, himself, and wanted a fresh start with a star teammate who would be more reliable and readily available now, as Durant’s time at the top is limited to three to four more seasons tops. This proved not to be the case though, as with his latest demand to Tsai, he has firmly placed his stake on Irving’s side of the franchise divide.
Irving’s season was tumultuous due to his reluctance to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, a mandate that was required by the city of New York to be eligible to play within city limits indoors as a member of one of New York’s professional sports franchises. This, amongst other minor injuries, resulted in Irving playing in 29 of 81 regular season games, a continuation of a lack of availability from the star which has seen him participate in just over 42% of possible games since he joined the team in 2019. His lack of team participation never stopped him from speaking his mind, including statements in which he incited that he was working laterally, alongside Durant, General Manager Sean Marks, and team owner Joe Tsai to plan for the team's future — a remark that was swiftly refuted by Marks in a following press conference.
Marks’ comments were followed by a wave of media scrutiny on Irving’s comments in which he was portrayed as someone with a false sense of entitlement, and out of touch with reality. It was difficult to understand all that was going on within the Nets' inner circle as the team was still reeling from their embarrassing playoff display where they were swept in four quick games by the Boston Celtics, and the direction in which the franchise should move to improve upon the lackluster showing was unclear.
What is clear though, is that Durant’s demand to Tsai that he fire Marks & Nash is nothing but personal. Both Durant and Irving were the driving force behind Marks’ decision to fire former Nets Head Coach Kenny Atkinson in favor of Steve Nash. Marks did everything Durant and Irving asked of him, including bringing in multiple aging vets to round out the roster. How could Durant be upset with the performance of a General Manager who did everything he asked and a Head Coach who he had hired? Durant noted in his meeting with Tsai that he didn’t have faith in the direction of the franchise — but the direction of the franchise has been completely dictated by his and Irving’s request.
Is Kevin Durant requesting a trade because he’s lost faith in Kevin Durant’s ability to run a franchise? It’s safe to say this is not the case. Durant’s move to Brooklyn was always about control, and a wish to be viewed as a leader of a team that won a championship, and that’s exactly what he’s been given since his arrival. What was Steve Nash supposed to do differently? Play Blake Griffin … more minutes? The team's inadequacies clearly stem from decisions that were made at the requests of the players who so desperately yearn to be viewed as the true leaders of the franchise, and Kevin Durant’s new demand is simply an additional step to further cement his roots as just that — and he still wants the same for his best friend, Kyrie Irving.
Love prevails.
The circus continues.
