Since the start of last week when The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that negotiations between the Brooklyn Nets and Kyrie Irving had reached an impasse, the idea of Kyrie Irving rejoining former teammate Lebron James was the topic that dominated the NBA news cycle.
That seemed to come to an end this past Monday when Charania reported that Irving would be picking up his $37 dollar option to return to the Nets and fulfill his commitment to his best friend and teammate Kevin Durant.
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The expectation around the league was that the Nets were going to run it back at least for one more year and see what their squad looked like with a healthy Ben Simmons, Irving, and Durant.
But this is the NBA, and things change at a moment’s notice. Just a couple of hours before the official start of the 2022 NBA Free Agency, Kevin Durant decided to nuke the entire NBA offseason and demanded a trade from the Nets.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Durant’s manager Rich Kleiman is working with the Nets front office to find Kevin a new home. The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat are rumored to be his preferred destinations.
Durant’s request evaporated any hopes that the Nets had of competing for a championship this coming NBA season. At the same time, it opened the door for the Lakers to acquire Kyrie Irving.