Kyrie Irving was soundly booed Sunday night when he was selected by Team LeBron in the NBA All-Star Game player draft, and if there were any Nets fans in the stands, they surely had good reason…which may have been compounded by Kyrie's comments on Saturday.
Specifically, during All-Star Media Day, both Irving and Kevin Durant flat out said that the current era of the NBA, where star players are demanding trades, is a good thing.
"I don't think it's bad for the league, it's bringing more eyes to the league, more people are more expedited," Durant said Saturday. "The tweets that I got in the news hits that we got from me being traded, Kyrie being traded, just bring more attention to the league and that's really what makes you money is when you get more attention. I think it's great for the league, to be honest."
Added Kyrie: "What's a bad situation and why doesn't anybody have the ability to ask for trades? That's my question. When did it become terrible to make great business decisions for yourself and your happiness and your peace of mind? Not every employer you're going to get along with. So if you have a chance to go somewhere else and you're doing it legally then I don't think there's a problem with it."
Irving requested a trade earlier this month, and within days, the Nets had dealt him to Dallas for a slew of players and picks. Days later, Durant, who had requested a deal this summer and then rescinded that request, was traded to Phoenix in a four-team mega-deal, officially and finally ending a "Big 3" era in Brooklyn that yielded one playoff series win in three-plus years of Durant and Irving being on the team.
And Kyrie, at least, has "no regrets" about that lack of success.
"I had a plan in place where I wanted to stay in Brooklyn long term, be a Net. It was a dream come true for me," Kyrie said. "Obviously, I wish things could have worked out for the best of all of us in terms of winning a championship and etching our names into history of the NBA. Those are big aspirations. It sounds easier said than done. But I had an incredible four years."
He's much happier now though, it seems, that that tenure is over.
"I went through a lot of personal battles myself, had a unique journey. Now I get to speak on it truthfully and know that I've grown as a person, grown as a player," he said. "Now I can move forward and reflect on the rearview when it's time, but move forward with Dallas and the teammates I have now. So I'm grateful."
And as for the new(er) player empowerment era in the NBA? KD thinks it's a remix of an old tune.
"Teams have been trading players and making acquisitions for a long time now," KD said. "When a player can, you know, kind of dictate where he wants to go and leave in free agency or demand to trade, it's just part of the game now. So I don't think it's a bad thing. It's bringing more and more excitement to the game."
Irving doubled down on that, saying the drama surrounding these requests adds to the aura and entertainment value of the league.
"The speculation and narratives is what makes this entertainment kinda seem a little bit more important or more priority than it actually is," Irving said. "Like, it's my life, it's not a dream that everyone can gossip about, I take it very serious, and most of the work that I do doesn't get seen and I don't know if it will ever get appreciated."
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Listen live to WFAN via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
