One week after the Golden State Warriors won the Larry O’Brien trophy, preparations for all 30 NBA teams on the draft and free agency were fully underway.
Every team is finalizing what they need to do this offseason from unloading big contracts to drafting and signing players to help their team do whatever it takes to have championship aspirations before free agency begins later this week.
As the NBA Draft took place in Brooklyn last week, the big-name stars, both who heard their name and in the Nets organization, are in the limelight. With Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving dealing with his contract with the organization as he has one year remaining, Kevin Durant is deciding what will happen next for himself, with or without Irving.
Since leaving the Warriors, Kevin Durant went to Brooklyn while rehabbing a torn Achilles he injured during the 2019 NBA Finals.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Kevin Durant Losing Trust In Brooklyn Nets Amid Kyrie Irving Debacle?
His first time on the court in a Nets uniform came during the 2020-21, 72-game shortened season due to COVID-19. Of those 72 games, he played 35 games and all 12 playoff games. During the regular season, Durant averaged 26.9 points and a career-low 33.1 minutes per game.
In this past season, the 6-foot-10 forward played in 55 games and averaged 29.9 points, which is the highest he has recorded since the 2013-14 season when he averaged 32.0 points and led the league.
With what has transpired this season with Irving’s COVID-19 vaccination troubles, to trading James Harden at the deadline for Ben Simmons (and others), Durant has endured a lot while going through injuries of his own, not to mention all while playing in the midst of a pandemic when mental health has been at an all-time high.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Kevin Durant Losing Trust In Brooklyn Nets Amid Kyrie Irving Debacle?
On top of being just outside of New York City, the noise increases that much more and, ultimately, it might be best for Durant’s future to turn the page and try to team up with another championship-quality player.
In addition, this Nets team has not made an NBA Finals, let alone an Eastern Conference Finals in the last three years since Durant and Irving teamed up. In addition, Brooklyn has only won one playoff series in the last three years.
If Durant decides to leave Brooklyn, he will have to request a trade with the organization as he still has four years remaining on his contract he signed last summer.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Kevin Durant Losing Trust In Brooklyn Nets Amid Kyrie Irving Debacle?
Looking back at Durant’s career, he has shown he can play at a superstar level and should be no different a few years after leaving Golden State, an organization where he won two Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP honors in back-to-back years.
Even before his time with the Warriors, Durant showed how much of force he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder. From the 2009-10 season to the 2015-16 season, Durant and the Thunder made the playoffs in six out of seven seasons and reached the NBA Finals in 2012 but lost in five games to the Miami Heat.
In addition, the Thunder also lost in the Western Conference Finals in 2016 to the Warriors in seven games despite having a 3-1 series lead.
LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Kevin Durant Losing Trust In Brooklyn Nets Amid Kyrie Irving Debacle?
During his time in the Bay Area, playing with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and the Warriors, Durant was able to be in a constant ball-moving offense where he didn’t have to the best player every single night. Although it ended unfortunately with the injuries, the Warriors won back-to-back NBA Championships and Durant made clutch shots in 2017 and 2018 over Cleveland.
Durant’s track record shows that if he leaves Brooklyn, he will still be one of the best basketball players on the planet when healthy and his time with the Nets was one of those times where things did not go their way over the last three seasons.
