• Editorial Team
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
FirstSportz
  • eSports
  • F1
  • Football
  • Golf
  • MLB
  • MMA
  • NASCAR
  • NBA
  • NFL
  • NHL
  • Tennis
  • WWE
No Result
View All Result
  • eSports
  • F1
  • Football
  • Golf
  • MLB
  • MMA
  • NASCAR
  • NBA
  • NFL
  • NHL
  • Tennis
  • WWE
No Result
View All Result
FirstSportz
No Result
View All Result
Home NBA

“Didn’t work out,” Kyrie Irving’s drops truth bomb on his relationship with Kevin Durant following the Nets-Mavericks trade

Kyrie Irving's departure has put a serious halt on Brooklyn Nets' hopes of a rebuild

by Arpan Ghosh
February 9, 2023, 12:56 PM IST
in NBA

The Durant-Irving brotherhood hits a new low after Kyrie Irving chose “business” over friendship. In a recent interview, the star dribbler said, “It just didn’t work out,” when asked about his relationship with Kevin Durant after his sudden move to the Dallas Mavericks over the last weekend. 

Kyrie Irving got traded to the Mavericks during the weekend. This broke the partnership between the two. While Durant was visibly upset over Kyrie’s departure, the latter chose to say, “It just didn’t work out. We still remain brothers, but it is a business at the end of the day… Ultimately, I want to be at peace every time I come into work rather than having things hanging over my head.” The internet broke down while deciphering the new state of the “brothers” after the incident. 

Back in October, Kyrie was neck-deep in an anti-semitism scandal that saw him get banned for five matches, and the owner of the Nets franchise also got involved. In an attempt to defend his friend, KD said that he would’ve preferred if the organization stayed quiet as an entity and did not act publicly.

He said, “I ain’t here to judge nobody or talk down on nobody for how they feel, their view, or anything. I just didn’t like anything that went on. I feel like it was all unnecessary. Felt like we could have just kept playing basketball and kept quiet as an organization. I just don’t like none of it.” 

Durant also received a lot of stick for his defense of Kyrie, who has been a very close friend to him. Adrian Wojnarowski claimed that Durant, despite being a close friend, was not aware of Kyrie’s trade request. 

Kyrie Irving’s first practice with the Mavericks: pic.twitter.com/fLPwuufEyL

— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) February 7, 2023

Now that Irving is also gone, KD’s feet will also itch to relocate. As much as the Nets want the star to put his head down and just play, Irving’s move is likely to be followed by a potential Durant move as well. 

In case you have missed: “People attack other people for what they believe in” Kyrie Irving “imparts wisdom” onto Ben Simmons on handling criticism

How it all started?

Kyrie Irving on the bench (Credits: TMZ)

Kyrie Irving got suspended for posting a link to “Hebrews to Negros: Wake Up Black America” in October 2022, a 2018 film based on Ronald Dalton’s homonymous novel. The novel propagates a thorough denial of the Holocaust as well as other strong opinions inconsistent with the history of the Jews. The post received a huge backlash from human rights activists all around the world. Nike also retracted their deal with the megastar.

As a repercussion, the 30-year-old got suspended by his team, the Brooklyn Nets, for five games. The owner of the franchise, Joe Tsai, said, “I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of antisemitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity, or religion. This is bigger than basketball.”

Why is Kyrie demanding the trade?

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (Image source: Instagram)

The incident started a major clash between the player and the franchise, which went on under the current regime. However, in January, Kyrie and the Nets’ agent Shetellia Irving said that the player wants to stay in Brooklyn if a major contract extension can be reached. 

According to reports, Irving was trying to strike a four-year deal for $198.5 million with the Nets. The previous clause stipulated that the player’s remuneration in the final year depended on winning a championship, which Kyrie wanted to be omitted. 

However, the franchise didn’t want to commit to such a humongous offer with Irving’s injury record and off-the-court issues making headlines. Following this, the eight-time-All Star demanded a trade ahead of the deadline. 

How much is Kyrie getting from the Mavs deal?

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (Image source: Instagram)

Irving is currently in the final year of his $136.9 million deal, which is set to expire in the summer. The Mavs have offered him a “meagre” $86.2 million extension for two years. However, he could potentially sign a $210.1 million deal with the Mavs, which will be $271.92 million with another one-year extension. 

At Dallas, Kyrie will pair up with Luka Doncic, who is averaging 33.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 8.2 assists this season. The move is considered risky for the Dallas Cowboys, but it would free up a $25 million cap space if Irving does not sign another contract. 

What will Durant do?

KD and Kyrie for nets (credits: FS)

The 2019 Nets’ project is veritably over with all the stars barring Durant abandoning ship. According to Woj, “Among rival teams, there’s far more interest in inquiring on Kevin Durant’s reaction to Kyrie Irving’s trade request and how that may impact KD’s future with the Nets.”

Durant had previously said, “I still love my teammates. I love playing at Barclays. So, I felt like, regardless, it’s gonna be an easy decision to come back and play because I love to hoop. This has been a good environment for me for the last two years, even though I had some doubts. But overall, looking at it, I still like to come in here and get work in.” 

Since then, a lot has changed. People close to the matter believe that a Durant trade is just a corner away. As per the latest reports, the Nets have decided to keep Durant on the roster despite interest from Phoenix Suns. Wojnarowski said, “Durant had an interest in a deal to the Suns over the summer, but so far the Nets haven’t shown a willingness to move him to Phoenix or anywhere else, sources tell ESPN. There have been a number of teams reaching out to Brooklyn on Durant.”

Related News:

“He’s never had a scandal, never been arrested,” Draymond Green reveals why LeBron James is the ‘Greatest Face’ of NBA ever

LeBron James Car Collection: The legendary NBA star has flashy cars

Tags: kevin durantkyrie irving
Arpan Ghosh

Arpan Ghosh

A sports buff with a special interest in football. I follow almost all the leagues. I love reading strategies and translating underlying stats. Apart from football, I follow cricket, tennis, olympic sports and NBA.

Related Posts

Untitled design

“They are a disaster!” Skip Bayless professes the Mavs will not make the Play-In despite having Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the team

by Anuj Shrikanth Iyer
March 28, 2023, 3:59 AM IST

The Dallas Mavericks lost their seventh game in their last nine and have slipped away from the rest of the...

Joel Embiid

Is Joel Embiid playing tonight against the Denver Nuggets?

by Skanda Narasimha
March 28, 2023, 3:00 AM IST

The NBA's MVP Ladder has been dominated by big men for the last 3 years. Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and...

LeBron James

“He looked revitalized,” Skip Bayless claims LeBron James had a ‘sensational’ comeback despite Lakers’ awful loss to the Bulls

by Skanda Narasimha
March 28, 2023, 2:41 AM IST

The Los Angeles Lakers are having a roller coaster of a season. From an extremely sluggish start to Anthony Davis'...

IMG COM 20230328 0203 33 0731

Shannon Sharpe gives INSIGHTS into LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ bitter-sweet relationship

by Anuj Shrikanth Iyer
March 28, 2023, 2:34 AM IST

Shannon Sharpe gave his take on LeBron James and Anthony Davis' relationship after AD backed it up. "If people haven't...

IMG COM 20230328 0059 53 6482

Shams Charania believes Kevin Durant and LeBron James could ‘finally’ face off on April 7 with KD’s return around the corner

by Anuj Shrikanth Iyer
March 28, 2023, 1:37 AM IST

Kevin Durant and LeBron James have not faced off in the NBA since 2018 and might come close to doing...

Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic

“He keeps throws shots at Nikola Jokic” – NBA fans convinced Joel Embiid’s WILD DISS aimed at MVP rival

by Skanda Narasimha
March 28, 2023, 12:46 AM IST

The NBA's MVP Ladder seems to be taking a new shape with every passing week. Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and...

Novak Djokovic

“Shameful,” Novak Djokovic fans condemn Wimbledon for neglecting the Serb and focusing on others

by Vipul Payattuparambil
March 28, 2023, 4:17 AM IST

Untitled design

“They are a disaster!” Skip Bayless professes the Mavs will not make the Play-In despite having Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the team

by Anuj Shrikanth Iyer
March 28, 2023, 3:59 AM IST

Andrey Rublev and Carlos Alcaraz

WATCH: “If you were like me you’d be number 8,” Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev banter during practice in Miami

by Vipul Payattuparambil
March 28, 2023, 3:39 AM IST

Jos Verstappen

Ex-F1 veteran bashes Jos Verstappen for his actions during the Saudi Arabian GP weekend

by Varad Joshi
March 28, 2023, 3:34 AM IST

FirstSportz-Logo-Light
FirstSportz is the First Stop for all sports fanatics. Starting in 2019, we initially covered Olympic Sports, but in 2021 we added every other sport which you might be looking for, like NFL, Golf, MLB, WWE Cricket, Football, Tennis, Esports, NBA, MMA and more.
DMCA.com Protection Status
  • About Us
  • Advertise at FirstSportz
  • Contact Us
  • Correction Policy
  • DMCA/Copyrights Disclaimer
  • Editorial Team
  • Ethics Policy
  • Fact Checking Policy
  • GDPR Compliance
  • Join Us
  • Ownership and Funding Information
  • Privacy Policy

© 2023 by Firstsportz

No Result
View All Result
  • eSports
    • Free Fire
  • F1
  • Football
  • Golf
  • MLB
  • MMA
  • NASCAR
  • NBA
  • NFL
  • NHL
  • Tennis
  • WWE
  • Info
    • About Us
    • Editorial Team
    • Contact Us

© 2023 by Firstsportz