“I’m glad he got out of there”

The Kevin Durant era in Brooklyn came to an end on Thursday. According to multiple reports, the Nets traded Durant and TJ Warren to the Phoenix Suns for a monster package of Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, four unprotected first-round picks and a pick swap.

It’s a gargantuan acquisition for Phoenix, which Durant pursued over the summer but finally got a deal across the line now that a new owner is on board. For Brooklyn, this is the second monster trade with a Western Conference roster in less than a week since Kyrie Irving was traded to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Irving made his Mavs debut on Wednesday and was asked after the game to respond to Durant’s trade. After saying that he’s “praying for his happiness, praying for his well-being,” Irving expressed that he’s excited for the two to compete, before saying he’s glad Durant is getting a change of scenery.

“There’s never been a moment when I felt like he was mad at me or I was mad at him because of decisions I made,” Irving said. “We were just trying to understand each other a lot better and grow as people, grow as brothers. This business is changing so fast. He’s getting a little older, I’m getting a little older. I love the competition now that we can attend the same conference and I welcome it all. See him a little more, probably play against Phoenix a lot more. I am looking forward. Everything else in between, I’m just glad he got out of there.”

Irving went on to say he was skeptical about considering Brooklyn as a long-term home, citing “things that happened behind the scenes,” like his refusal to comply with New York’s vaccination mandate or the suspension he received for what the team put it, a “failure to reject anti-Semitism when given a clear opportunity to do so”.

“I also want to say something about my ‘super team’, James [Harden], and KD, which everyone thinks should have worked,” Irving said. “We’ve played together for a very limited amount of time, a lot of injuries and things that have happened and I would have liked to see that work work over the long term. But there are no mistakes, no coincidences, you have to move forward. I’m glad I can look back and reflect on that journey and say I’ve learned a lot of things from these guys and my teammates in Brooklyn, and just my journey through this.”