Getty (From left) Andre Drummond, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets.
With the Boston Celtics, the team that eliminated the Brooklyn Nets earlier in the playoffs, now finding themselves in the NBA Finals, fans are looking back at both the 2013 trade that gave Boston their stars, but also the decisions made by both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
Durant and Irving were members of the Golden State Warriors and Celtics respectively before both made the decision to leave and join the Nets.
Fast forward to 2022 and both of those teams are now in the NBA Finals without the services of Durant and Irving. In Durant’s defense, he did make the decision to leave Golden State after winning two championships, but Irving came away with no hardware.
The Nets were meant to create a new super team in Brooklyn, but that just hasn’t panned out so far, and many members in the media are critical of the decisions made by the two stars. However, not everyone shares the same sentiment and former NBA player JJ Redick came to the defense of the duo.
Redick Defends Irving & Durant
Speaking on ESPN’s First Take, Redick defended the duo from both Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins.
When asked if the pair should look worse for leaving their previous teams who are now in the Finals facing each other, Redick argues they shouldn’t.
“If we’re talking about them leaving their teams,” he begins around the 3:59 minute mark. “I think the answer to that is neither look bad and neither should look bad because we’re talking about something that happened three years ago. And in a vacuum, yes, Golden State Warriors are back in the Finals. Boston Celtics are back in the Finals. I get that. But so many things have to happen to get to that point. Whether it is Klay missing two seasons, Kevin Durant off an injury, for Boston figuring a way to get Al Horford back because you signed Kemba Walker and you used Trade Exception.”
What Redick is saying is that there were a lot of factors at play here, so neither of the players should particularly be at fault for what happened. In the NBA there’s so much overhaul that can happen in just a year, let alone three of them. While both the Warriors and Celtics largely have the same core they had when Durant and Irving were on them, the same can’t be said for much of the NBA.
Nets Can Get There
GettyKevin Durant #7 reacts with Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets after the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center.
It seems like there has always been something holding the Nets back, but going into the next season it looks like there will be no more excuses.
Irving, Durant and a healthy Ben Simmons are certainly enough to compete for a championship, but they will need to build out a supporting cast around them. Size is a big area of need as many the centers on the roster at the moment aren’t locks to come back, and that includes starter Andre Drummond. Nic Claxton will be able to fill that role if he comes back, but he can’t do it alone.
There are some different trades the Nets could look at if they aren’t happy with what they have, and that includes a trade of Simmons himself. The offseason hasn’t officially started as of yet, so there’s pretty much nothing that’s off the table as of now.
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Former NBA Guard Defends Kyrie Irving & Kevin Durant From Criticism