Irving on Durant’s Trade Request: “I feel like we got better”

But are they really, though?

It was a long summer for the Brooklyn Nets.

First, they had to deal with Kyrie Irving. 

They had to decide if they would bring him back or not and figure out if he even wanted to come back.

Then, they had to deal with Kevin Durant. 

He gave them an ultimatum to either trade him or fire the team’s GM, Sean Marks, and Head Coach, Steve Nash.

The Nets, however, stood behind their GM and coach and spent most of the summer trying to find reasonable trades for the superstar.

Oh, and they also had to deal with Ben Simmons, who they didn’t know was going to play or not.

It was a busy off-season for the organization.

But as the tips of training camp and pre-season started to rise above the bridges, everything started to calm down for them.

Kyrie came back. KD rescinded his trade request. And Simmons said he was ready to play.

But even though the stars of the team are good to go, things were still said and done, and I’m sure some feelings were hurt. 

So, how would this affect their chemistry?

Apparently, going through the whole debacle was a good thing for them.

Speaking to Shams Charania on Stadium, Kyrie said that he thinks the team “got better” after the off-season.

“When Kev made that request, I feel like we got better. Afterwards. Not initially, but now where we are now, I feel like we can honestly say we got better, with the principles that are needed for success. 

“Without going through some test in the summertime or during the season, we wouldn’t be able to be as close and bonded as we are now.”

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania

Part 2 of Kyrie Irving on @Stadium: "I’m going for every piece of hardware that I could possibly get out of the NBA." On the Nets post-KD trade request, his team bonding event, admitting "I don't think it was my time to ask for a trade" with Cavs, Uncle Drew, meaning of A11Even.

Final Thoughts

With a healthy core, the Nets are one of the scariest teams in the NBA.

They have super-scorers in KD and Kyrie, and a talented defender and playmaker in Simmons.

But their success will be dependent on their health and on if they can truly get along.

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Quote of the Week

"I bought floor tickets for my mom, which I've never done before. ... Growing up in East Oakland, I was only able to go to games when tickets were free."

-Juan Toscano-Anderson

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

"I bought floor tickets for my mom, which I've never done before. ... Growing up in East Oakland, I was only able to go to games when tickets were free." Juan Toscano-Anderson wanted to make sure his mom was court side to watch his ring ceremony ❤️ (via @mcten)

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