When Kevin Durant’s NBA career ends, he will be remembered in many ways. Stephen A. Smith believes that one of those ways will be as the one who chose Kyrie or Steph. The Nets granted Kyrie Irving’s request for a trade on Sunday, sending him to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and three draft picks.
In 2019, it was evident that the Nets were taking a risk when they signed Durant and Irving, the latter of whom had just left the Celtics. In Brooklyn, there was wire-to-wire chaos, with only one postseason series win.
Durant left an elite group with Steph Curry and the Warriors when he joined the Nets. It was a widely critisized choice at the time, and the Warriors winning a title in the time Durant has been in Brooklyn has further shown how bad that decision was on the court.
“I love Kevin Durant. Superstar. But feeling sorry is not the appropriate words that I would apply to him,” Smith stated during ESPN’s Saturday NBA coverage. “This is of his doing: You left Golden State to come to Brooklyn to join Kyrie [Irving]. You invested in Kyrie. You believed in Kyrie.”
"I love Kevin Durant. Superstar. But feeling sorry is not the appropriate words that I would apply to him. This is of his doing: You left Golden State to come to Brooklyn to join Kyrie [Irving]."
Stephen A. Smith on Kevin Durant#NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/MiqBJs8H4p
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) February 5, 2023
He continued, “But when did you step up and be assertive enough to say, ‘Stop letting me down. Be on this damn basketball with me and let’s stop with all of these distractions’? Kevin Durant, to my knowledge, hasn’t done that.”
The rumored trade of Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks has raised further concerns about Durant’s long-term future in Brooklyn. The vultures have already begun to circle. The Phoenix Suns are ready to pounce if the 13-time All-Star is made available.
As great as Durant is, his addition would need a significant adjustment for a team that is currently leading in the Eastern Conference and a top title contender. There’s a lot to unpack about Irving’s time in Brooklyn, where he and Kevin Durant only played 74 games together in three years and never advanced past the conference playoffs, as well as what Irving will bring to the Mavericks. Keep your eyes on us to get all updates.
