Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and DeAndre Jordan first began talking about the possibility of playing on the same NBA team during the 2016 Rio Olympics, according to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan. The USA Basketball teammates didn’t get the chance to become NBA teammates until the 2019 offseason, but agreed when they all hit free agency this offseason that now was the time to make that plan a reality.
As MacMullan details, Irving told Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge during his exit interview this spring that he planned to move on, and he had already decided at that point that he’d head to Brooklyn. Durant spent hours researching Nets general manager Sean Marks, while Jordan talked to veterans like Jared Dudley about their experiences in Brooklyn. Ultimately, all three players decided it was the right landing spot for them.
Here’s more on the Nets, including several more tidbits from MacMullan’s deep dive:
- Durant recognizes that the Nets aren’t the immediate championship favorite that the Warriors were during his years in Golden State, but he wants to help lead his new team to a title. “Obviously leaving Golden State, I’m not expecting anything better than that,” he said, per MacMullan. “I see this situation as, ‘All right, I’m coming to a young organization that has championship aspirations but doesn’t quite know what that feels like.'”
- As Marks tells McMullan, there’s plenty of excitement within the organization about eventually being able to add Durant to Nets’ lineup. “He goes out and takes a couple of set shots — not jumpers — and the whole gym stops,” Marks said. “You can hear a pin drop. That’s great for our guys, because they sense this guy is waiting in the wings. We’re not waiting for him, but man, it’s kind of a cool feeling to know he’s coming.”
- Irving, who has spent nine years working with his own performance specialist, has been somewhat resistant to the Nets’ player-performance program, according to MacMullan. However, Marks insists that Irving’s pushback on that issue has been “neither unexpected nor disruptive.”
- There’s some concern among Nets officials about Irving’s mood swings — MacMullan suggests that he can become unwilling to communicate with coaches and even teammates in down moments. Sources tell ESPN that one such funk happened during Brooklyn’s trip to China, but the team is hopeful that having a good friend like Durant around will help.
- As Bleacher Report relays (video link), Durant said in an appearance on Serge Ibaka‘s YouTube cooking show that the idea of finishing his playing career by spending a season on a EuroLeague team like Barcelona appeals to him.
There you go… 7 days into the season and already a complaint about Kyrie Irving’s attitude.
There’s no topping his talent but as a Celtics fan I really am not at all sad that he left, and I wish him all the best.
As a Cavs fan, I’d tend to agree with you.
As a Celts diehard, I was relieved Kaylee Irving hit the door. Aside from throwing bricks last year in playoffs, he’s locker room arsenic.
So for you Nets fan, take heart. Kaylee doesn’t stay in one place very long.
Boston-based writer goes low on Kyrie, what a shock. He looks to me like he’s ready for a career season if he stays healthy. Listen not to the blue meanies.
Career season…he likes playing with himself…enjoy the losses.
I was just gonna say the same. There’s a reason his assists aren’t up and it’s because he likes to play one on one wayyyyyy too much and take bad shots.
When Durant comes back they are just going to alternate iso possessions. Everyone else rebound!
Kyrie’s assists are higher than his career average and he is scoring 37 points a game. Y’all need to find something better to do than criticize one of the best players in the NBA. They are 3 games into the season, even greats need time to gel and learn to trust their teammates.
To be fair, every man likes playing with himself
Cryrie Irving is a talented player maybe he will play better next year when KD returns
The man is shooting 50% from the field and 40% from 3, scoring 37 points a game and higher assists than his career average. Besides you being a biased fan, someone give me a way that he is playing poorly?
Pretty easily. A TEAM’S goal isn’t to have one player be the deciding factor for every game. That’s why AI never won a ring, why Kobe couldn’t without Shaq and Gasol. If he’s disrupting team chemistry to the point where that ruins the gel they had last season than it is a problem. They kept the same team for the most part and upgrades at PG so they absolutely need to contend in a weak Eastern conference.