Before he was a journeyman point guard bouncing through nine franchises in 14 seasons, Kenny Anderson was a star—an NBA All-Star, in fact, for the Nets in the 1993-94 season. That year, Anderson averaged 18.8 points and 9.6 assists, leading the league by appearing in all 92 games and finishing third in overall assists (784). That mark ranks third all-time in Nets single-season history.
But he does not like what he is seeing in Brooklyn this summer, with Kevin Durant having requested a trade and Kyrie Irving possibly following him.
“It’s sad to see what the Nets are going through with Durant and Kyrie Irving. They got great talent, but they just don’t want to be there. And that’s sad. That’s sad,” Anderson told Heavy Sports’ Steve Bulpett. “But it’s all a lot different now — a lot more money, the lane is wide open, and they’re shooting 3’s all the time. The game has changed. But it’s great. I still love the game of basketball, but the league has changed.”
Kenny Anderson Coaching in College
Since leaving the NBA, Anderson has been an active supporter of the teams for which he had his best seasons, including the Nets (which were, of course, located in New Jersey when he played).
“I’m a really loyal guy,” he told Bulpett. “You know that’s how I was born and raised: be loyal. The Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers and New Jersey Nets are my teams.”
Anderson was in Las Vegas this month during Summer League play as part of the NBA’s efforts to push opportunities for players who attend historically Black colleges. Anderson is the head coach at Fisk University in Tennessee, entering his fourth season with the Bulldogs, who were just 3-26 last year after having taken the previous season off because of COVID-19.
“I’m trying to build a program,” Anderson said. “I love doing what I’m doing. It’s a challenge, but I love it.”
Impatience Around Nets Situation Grows
Anderson, of course, is not the only one disappointed with what’s happened in Brooklyn. In fact, around the league, there is disappointment in the slow pace of negotiations on a Durant trade, after he made his request on June 30.
Some around the league have wondered how wise it was for Durant to wait until the eve of free agency to decide to lob a trade demand on the Nets—teams would have been in much better position to work out a deal for him if he had let his intentions be known the previous week, before the NBA draft. At that point, teams could have included 2022 picks in potential deals (by choosing the player then trading him) and still traded away their 2023 picks without breaking NBA rules.
Now, teams are limited in the number of picks they can offer. That’s left the NBA transaction wire at a virtual standstill for the past two weeks. And it has reportedly left the Nets looking at the possibility that both Durant and Irving could be back in Brooklyn next year, whether they like it or not.
As a league source told Newark Star-Ledger reporter Adam Zagoria, both Irving and Durant have gotten used to the idea that a trade is “unlikely.”
Ex-Nets All-Star Sounds off on Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving Drama