"Kevin Durant has made it very very clear that he can be friends with Kyrie Irving but he does not want to play basketball with him" - NBA analyst gives his take on KD’s current equation with Irving
Brooklyn Nets duo Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are about to be dismantled as the former has requested a trade from the franchise.
The latter made the airwaves all summer long with his contract extension talks. He has exercised his player-option for the upcoming season but is still expected to depart.
On ESPN's morning show NBA Today, NBA analyst Freddie Coleman spoke about how he could evisage a possible reunion between Irving and Durant. Coleman said:
"To be completely honest with you, I cannot foresee that no matter where they decided to go, they're going to pair up with each other again and this is going to work.
"Kevin Durant has made it very very clear that he can be friends with Kyrie Irving but he does not want to play basketball with him."
Coleman continued:
"He has to realize how much of a bad look this is that the reason that Kevin Durant decided he did not want to be with you anymore is because he didn't want to ruin the friendship.
"If I'm Kevin Durant, there's no way I want to play with him anywhere else. You've got to please yourself if you're Kevin Durant."
However, what must be kept in mind is that Durant has four years left on his deal. That means that the Nets can hold out until they are satisfied with the trade package they receive for him. Meanwhile, Irving has been linked with a move to the LA Lakers.
How did the Nets lose Kevin Durant?
Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the NBA. The Brooklyn Nets are desperate to win an NBA championship, which is why they acquired Irving and Durant in the first place.
Despite the loss, Kevin Durant still scored enough to reach 25,000 career points Sunday.
LeBron James is the only active player that reached the feat faster than him.
Carmelo Anthony completes the trio as the only 3 active players with 25,000 points. https://t.co/gQgaqWDL96
However, three years in and they have only won a single postseason series. The first year was essentially written off due to the superstar duo's injuries. The second and third years have been monumental failures.
Durant's future with the franchise seems linked to Irving's. KD signed a long-term extension last year but he doesn't have a player-option in the deal. This means that if the "Slim Reaper" wants to move away from Brooklyn, he will have to be traded.
With 36 pts Friday, Kevin Durant bumped up his season scoring average to 30.0555 PPG
Assuming he plays in the Nets regular season finale, Durant would need 27 pts to clinch 30 PPG. He would be the first player in Nets history to average 30 PPG https://t.co/pZbnXVjNa8
Irving exercising his player-option seems to be a smoke screen as KD requested a trade a day later.
The move came completely blindsided the organization as there was belief that Irving was being accommodated by the franchise only to appease Durant. Now, the franchise could be left with just Ben Simmons when the season starts in October.