Kyrie Irving Reveals How Kevin Durant's Trade Request Impacted The Nets

Kevin Durant's trade request impacted the Brooklyn Nets in a unique way

Joey Linn | Oct 21, 2022

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Brooklyn Nets

When Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets at the beginning of the summer, many felt as if basketball in Brooklyn would be much different by the start of the new season. Had the Nets dealt Durant, a deal for Kyrie Irving would have also made sense, but the team was instead able to bring both players back to start the year.

In a recent interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic, Irving revealed a unique way in which Durant's trade request impacted the Nets. Rather than tearing them down, Irving believes it made them better.

"When Kev made that request, I feel like we got better," Irving told Charania. "Afterwards. Not initially, but now where we are now, I feel like we can honestly say we got better, with the principles that are needed for success. Without going through some test in the summertime or during the season, we wouldn’t be able to be as close and bonded as we are now."

Adversity often can have this impact, and while much of this adversity was self-inflicted, it may have caused the Nets to look internally, and understand the areas they need to be better. Irving has spoken about the need to do that for himself, and perhaps Durant's trade request was a wake up call for the entire organization. Time will tell, but Irving believes the events from this summer were good for the Nets.

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Published Oct 21, 2022

JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn32@sbcglobal.net Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis, insight, and reporting Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Receiving a media credential during the 2021-22 season, Joey has experience interviewing NBA players, and developing exclusive stories from these interviews. Having appeared on several different NBA podcasts over the last four seasons, Joey is now hosting his own podcast for The Sporting Tribune. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Now graduated, Joey is covering the NBA full-time across multiple platforms. Credentialed by the Clippers, Joey covers the team daily with articles, podcasts, and video breakdowns on YouTube. With four years of sports media experience, Joey provides expert insight and analysis for NBA fans across the league.

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