Kyrie happy to see Durant leave Nets: 'Just glad he got out of there'
New Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving is relieved to see that his former teammate Kevin Durant is reportedly departing the Brooklyn Nets following news of a mammoth trade overnight with the Phoenix Suns.
"I just love the competition now, that we can be in the same conference, and I welcome all that," Irving said Thursday after leading the Mavericks over the Los Angeles Clippers in his team debut, courtesy of Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
"Get to see him a lot more, probably playing against Phoenix a lot more - that's what I'm looking forward to. Everything else in between, I'm just glad he got out of there."
The Nets and Suns reportedly agreed to a stunning five-player blockbuster to send Durant and T.J. Warren to Phoenix. In return, Brooklyn acquired Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, and a trove of draft compensation, including four unprotected first-round picks and the right to swap in 2028.
The supposed agreement, however, brings an end to an era in Brooklyn that began with Durant's and Irving's free-agency signings in 2019 and will likely be remembered as underwhelming. The two stars played just 74 games together across three-and-a-half seasons due to a multitude of factors and, despite adding James Harden in January 2021, went 8-13 in the postseason with one playoff series win.
But with Durant and Irving now on a potential collision course to meet in the postseason as opponents, Irving is relishing in possibly facing off against his longtime friend.
"It's not the first time we'll be in competition as brothers," he said. "I'm just praying for his happiness, praying for his wellbeing. We had a lot of conversations throughout the year of what our futures were going to look like - there was still a level of uncertainty. But we just cared about seeing each other be (in) places we can thrive.
"And whether that be together or that be apart, there's never been one moment where I felt like he's been angry at me for the decisions I made, or I've been angry at him. We just tried to understand each other a lot better and grow as human beings, grow as brothers."
Durant and Irving won't have to wait too long to square off. The Mavericks will play the Suns for the fourth and final time this regular season on March 5 in Dallas.