Kevin Durant Reveals His Feelings About Kyrie Irving’s Trade Request

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant failed to rule the Eastern Conference with the Brooklyn Nets.

They were supposed to be the league’s ruling force since arriving in Barclays Center, but countless off-court dramas, injuries, and rifts with the front office often got in the way.

Some predicted their pairing was nothing more than a ticking time bomb, as their egos and characters were just too volatile.

So, it wasn’t that much of a surprise to see Kyrie demanding a trade shortly before the deadline.

Notably, however, KD — his teammate and friend — didn’t see that coming, and he recently admitted that it was ‘tough to stomach.’

Durant acknowledged his frustration for not being able to fulfill their goal of winning an NBA championship together:

“We were finally building a culture that we always wanted. I didn’t know what was going on with Kyrie and his situation with the organization…without him, we didn’t have a clear identity,” Durant said.

Kevin Durant says Kyrie Irving's trade request was "tough to stomach":

"We were finally building a culture that we always wanted. I didn't know what was going on with Kyrie and his situation with the organization…without him, we didn't have a clear identity." pic.twitter.com/8mHdhwJ24a

— Nets Videos (@SNYNets) February 16, 2023

They were impressively good when they were both available, but that was rarely the case, and Irving never stepped up as the leader the team needed when KD was nursing his multiple injuries.

Now, Irving will get a somewhat fresh start side by side with Luka Doncic with Jason Kidd’s Dallas Mavericks, albeit it seems like they’re still a ways away from being a legit championship contender.

As for the Suns, they’ve now officially become the strongest candidate to come out of the Western Conference and go the distance.

All things considered, Monty Williams’ team has no excuse to not at least make the NBA Finals, boasting four All-Star caliber players in their starting lineup and arguably the greatest scorer of all time leading the way for them.