Kevin Durant Speaks on Kyrie Irving Trade Request: 'My Job is to Play'
When the Brooklyn Nets committed to bringing in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the expectations around the NBA were lofty. It only intensified after the blockbuster trade to form a "Big 3" formulated to acquire James Harden. A lot happened along the way, but now, all three are elsewhere.
Harden has been long gone from the Nets, he's in his first full season with the Philadelphia 76ers after having his trade demand fulfilled before last year's midseason trade deadline. Around a year later, Irving had sought to be traded to a new team, resulting in Durant's exit.
"You got to ask them, to be honest," Durant told The Ringer's Logan Murdock when asked about why Harden and Irving asked to be traded. "My job is to play, and I think I did that. Rehab, a lot of stuff was out of my control that I didn't ... I can't speak on, to be honest, but I just thought we didn't play enough minutes together. That's all."
With Durant and Irving being the first of the two superstars to join forces and the last to remain together, the focus has naturally been on where their relationship currently stands. It's especially relevant since Irving is set to be a free agent and Durant's Phoenix Suns, like LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers, are speculated as being a logical next stops for Irving.
“That’s something I’m going to keep internal. I don’t want to expose our relationship,” Durant told The Ringer. “I think that’s deeper than basketball, but I wouldn’t say it was a problem. I didn’t think it was a problem.”
Shortly after Irving made his Dallas Mavericks debut in what was a road win over the Los Angeles Clippers without Luka Doncic in the lineup, Irving was asked about his relationship with Durant. Irving wasn't concerned and emphasized the business side.
“We came together about 2018/19, kinda when that Finals happened,” Irving said. “We weren’t coming together planning what team we were going to go (to). We just had goals together. And it wasn’t just as a duo. We were seeing ourselves as savants in the culture that we wanted to teach the youngins.”
Irving added: “It just didn’t work out. We still remain brothers, but it is a business at the end of the day, as we always say. I gotta look out for my family, and ultimately, I want to be at peace every time I come into work rather than things hanging over my head.”
When the Mavs and Suns faced off in March, it marked the first time that Durant and Irving had taken the court as opponents. Much was made at the time of how little interaction the two superstars shared. Some went as far to describe them as having no relationship at that time.
"No emotions at all," Durant said after the March matchup. "It's another game."
Durant's focus remains on the Suns' playoff run, which very well could lead to him winning the third championship of his NBA career. As for Irving, he will have a major decision to make this offseason, regarding whether to re-sign with the Mavs, or try his luck elsewhere.
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