Kevin Durant remarkably decided to commit to the Brooklyn Nets - and his sudden change of heart appears to have derailed the Los Angeles Lakers’ trade plans.
Nets point guard Kyrie Irving was linked with a move to the Lakers, with LeBron James reportedly pulling for the franchise to move for the seven-time All-Star amid the uncertainty surrounding Durant. Los Angeles reportedly wanted to offload Russell Westbrook, offering the former MVP and draft compensation for the services of Irving, according to The Athletic .
At the end of June, Irving opted in to his £31.3 million contract for the 2022-23 so the Lakers were planning to use Westbrook’s contract to match salaries for a potential trade. Westbrook - who joined the Lakers from the Washington Wizards last summer - opted into the final year of his contract, earning £39.7m.
The Athletic claimed James - often compared to Michael Jordan as the greatest basketball player in history - was ‘privately adamant’ that the Lakers needed to trade for Irving. However, it appears their pursuit of Irving is over after Durant rescinded his trade request to return to Brooklyn.
On Tuesday, Nets general manager Sean Marks released a statement that the franchise and Durant are ‘moving forward’ as they attempt to bring a championship to Brooklyn for the first time. Durant’s trade request came as surprise when he dropped the bomb on the team in June.
Following his request, Durant allegedly gave the Nets an ultimatum to either fire Marks and coach Steve Nash or send him to another franchise. Ultimately, the meeting ensured all wounds were healed and all parties appear to be confident Durant is remaining in Brooklyn for the long term.
Do you think Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will win an NBA championship with the Brooklyn Nets? Let us know in the comments section.
Marks’ statement read: “Steve Nash and I, together with Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday. We have agreed to move forward with our partnership.
“We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn.”
Durant signed a four-year contract extension worth £167.2m to stay with the Nets last August. He will look forward to playing with Irving for another season at least after the duo joined forces to join Brooklyn in the 2019 offseason.
Irving has been working out with teammates while being involved in ‘constructive dialogue’ with Nets officials this offseason. Irving’s commitment to Brooklyn was heavily questioned last season, as he played just 29 games due to New York’s Covid-19 vaccine policy.
