Kevin Durant says Kyrie Irving trade was ‘tough to stomach’ in first press conference with Suns
Less than two weeks ago, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were both members of the Brooklyn Nets. Now both are starting a new chapter with completely new organizations.
Over the course of three days, the Nets traded Irving to the Mavericks and Durant to the Suns. What were once the vaunted “big three” of Irving, Durant and James Harden have now been completely dismantled. The rapid disintegration of Brooklyn’s talented core has stunned the NBA world, leaving Nets fans wondering how and why things fell apart.
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On Thursday, Durant shared his thoughts on what was going on in Brooklyn’s dressing room. In his introductory press conference as a member of the Suns, Durant said Irving’s departure hit him and the rest of the team hard.
“I was upset that we couldn’t finish [what we started]’ he told the media. “I thought we had a good dynamic. We finally built the culture we always wanted. I felt like we built our chemistry in every game.”
He said he was unaware of Irving’s desire to leave Brooklyn before moving to Dallas.
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“I didn’t know what was going on with Kyrie and his situation with the organization,” Durant said. “I wasn’t really concentrating on that, I was just concentrating on what we were doing on the pitch. It was a blow to our team. It just took our identity away from us.
“He was a big, big part of what we do. He’s a Hall of Famer, a great, great player who can do anything on the floor and we counted on that. So without him we didn’t have a clear identity. So that was hard for me to take.
Once Irving left, it seemed almost inevitable that Durant would follow. But Durant also got emotional as he reflected on the nearly four years he spent with the Nets.
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ESPN’s Nick Friedell asked how KD would summarize his time in Brooklyn. The question drew boos from the Suns fans in attendance, but seemed to resonate with the 13-time NBA All-Star as well.
“It was a lot of ups and downs, but I loved the grind,” Durant replied. “Everyone in Brooklyn loved the grind too, so I started a family over there. You will always be a part of my journey.”
“We haven’t achieved what we set out to achieve, down to winning a championship,” he continued. “But everyone there, we did our best every day, regardless of what was going on in the media, what was going on with our teammates. Anyone that’s been in that gym, we’ve been grinding. So I love these guys. I get emotional talking about it because it’s been a special four years of my career [injury]you helped me a lot.”
Durant’s heartfelt response received applause from the audience, some of whom had booed the question moments before.
“Yeah it was awful how some things went down but at the end of the day I love the grind and we all loved the grind back in Brooklyn,” he concluded. “I wish them all the best for the future. You have a bright future.”
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Now KD will shift his focus to Phoenix, where he will attempt to win the ring that eluded him during his four years in the Big Apple.