Breaking: Kevin Durant Could Leave The Brooklyn Nets If Kyrie Irving Does Not Re-Sign.
During the summer of 2019, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving decided to form a duo in Brooklyn and both signed multi-year contracts in hopes of winning a championship. With this being arguably the most offensively talented duo the NBA has ever seen, the expectations of the Brooklyn Nets grew stronger. From an elite superstar duo to a great supporting cast of players like Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, many, including myself, felt that the Nets would be the next dynasty in the NBA. It only amplified their chances of winning a championship when they infamously traded for James Harden during the 2020-21 season. However, the Nets’ attempt to build a dynasty never happened despite having three of the best offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Due to injuries and politics, it prevented the Nets from ever reaching their potential in the NBA, and they are now facing a nightmare that they never anticipated would happen.
When the Nets originally signed Irving and Durant, there was almost an expectation that both players would remain in Brooklyn until the end of their careers. According to a report from Shams Charania of ‘The Athletic,’ it was announced that the Brooklyn Nets and Kyrie Irving are at an impasse that could leave Irving to join a new organization this off-season. The reason? Irving wants a long-term contract from the Nets, but due to his part-time production this past season, Irving has built a reputation in the NBA for being unreliable. This has left the Nets in a difficult situation as they don’t want to make the same mistake as before. When his team needed him most this season, Irving could not play due to political reasons involving the vaccine mandate.
The Nets were among a handful of organizations that required their players to receive the vaccine to be able to play basketball. In contrast, some players in the league, like Andrew Wiggins, were initially uncomfortable with receiving the vaccine. Their love for playing basketball and competing led to most players accepting what their team required of them. Could you imagine if Andrew Wiggins refused to get the vaccine! He would have never been an All-Star this season and, more importantly, never been an NBA champion as he was the primary defender on Jayson Tatum. Without his production in the NBA Finals, the Warriors would have lost to the Celtics as no one else would be able to guard Tatum at the same level as Wiggins. While Wiggins saw the big picture, Irving did not, as he missed half the season. If Irving played all 82 games this season, the Nets would have likely been a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets had the potential to mimic other dynasties like the Golden Warriors during the 2010s and the Los Angeles Lakers in the early 2000s. A trio of some of the best shooting offensive players in an era where shooting the basketball is celebrated and encouraged would have broken the league. Unfortunately, we will never see that, as Irving will most likely be signing with a new organization this off-season. While this would be devastating for the Nets, the biggest loser of this entire situation has been Kevin Durant, as he left a dynasty in Golden State in hopes of building a new one in Brooklyn. When Durant left the Warriors, Golden State was doubted and lost the reputation of being the face of the NBA. The expectation was that the Nets would have won a championship by now while the Warriors would be facing a rebuild. Ironically, that script has been flipped as the Warriors just won their fourth championship in the Curry era while the Nets potentially face another rebuild.
Before the Nets signed Irving and Durant, they had a young and exciting young core that featured D’Angelo Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen. While that core would have never won a championship, the Nets would have been better if they still had the core, considering how well they would have developed together. Russell became a first-time All-Star during his time in Brooklyn and led the Nets to a playoff appearance for the first time since 2014. Dinwiddie and LeVert developed into great offensive scorers, and while LeVert’s season was cut short due to a devastating injury, his scoring potential was there. Lastly, Allen, a draft steal, became a solid rebounding and defensive option at the center position that blossomed into an All-Star with the Cleveland Cavaliers. If the Nets still possessed that core of players, they would have likely had two All-Stars in Russell and Allen, as Russell would have only improved from his first season with the Nets. LeVert and Dinwiddie would have become lethal offensive options alongside Russell. The best aspect about this situation is that the Nets would still have a max slot to fill and would have been able to sign another All-Star in free agency.
No one could have predicted how bad the Durant and Irving era would have been in Brooklyn as the Nets in 2019 made the right decision at the time. However, it’s interesting to think what the Nets could have been if they believed more in their young core. With Irving most likely not re-signing with Brooklyn, expect Kevin Durant to request a trade in the coming weeks leaving Brooklyn with a disgruntled Ben Simmons.
