When a franchise’s star player requests a trade, it’s likely expected to put a strain on the relationship and cause a ripple effect throughout the squad. But for the Nets after Kevin Durant’s request, Kyrie Irving told Shams Charania on Stadium that it made the franchise “better.”
“When Kev made that request, I feel like we got better,” Irving said. “Afterwards. Not initially, but now where we are now, I feel like we can honestly say we got better, with the principles that are needed for success. Without going through some test in the summertime or during the season, we wouldn’t be able to be as close and bonded as we are now.”
On June 30, news broke that Durant requested a trade just one year after he signed a four-year contract extension with Brooklyn. He, then, rescinded the request in late August. He later explained why he requested a trade, saying, “It was a lot of uncertainty around our team last year. I committed to this organization for four years last summer with the idea that we were gonna be playing with that group.”
