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