“We didn’t reach the Goal”: NBA Champion Reflects on Failed Kevin Durant & Kyrie Irving’s Nets Era Before Bitter Split

Back in 2019, Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks and Joseph Tsai had a vision, to assemble a super team that’d dominate the East for years to time. Just like unpacking those premium card offers in NBA 2K games, the duo roped in Kevin Durant from the Warriors and Kyrie Irving from the Celtics, two former champions. Durant was fresh off his back-to-back championship wins, Kyrie was desperate to leave the scars of Boston. Fueled by their long-standing friendship, Brooklyn dreamed of their maiden NBA gold. However, the reality turned out different, as reflected by former NBA champion DeAndre Jordan.

But there’s always a gap between fiction and reality. Someone who saw it closely felt this more and that person is DeAndre Jordan. The former NBA champion recently shared his experience in Brooklyn with Paul George and looked back at what could’ve been.

During the latest episode of “Podcast With P“, Jordan was asked about his stint alongside Kyrie and Kevin Durant. Highlighting his tumultuous 2019, he said, “I was in Dallas that year, got traded to the Knicks and KD, Kai and I we’re super duper close. We had been talking about teaming up and for a while, and it just never quite happened… then that year, it kind of did…And the Knicks came up and I was like, well, sh*t, I’m already here.” The Nets came with a $40 million deal for him, and he decided to make the cross-city move.

Jordan continued, “It was a great time. It was I thought at that point in my career was a great decision to be able to play with two of my great friends. Ultimately, we obviously didn’t reach the goal that we wanted to, but I think it was a great time for me because I was able to actually choose my path with guys that I wanted to play with.”

The Nets finished that 2019-20 season 7th in the Eastern Conference with a 35-37 record. DeAndre Jordan was the top performer for the team, with Durant unable to play a single game because of injury. There were still hopes after a shake regular season, but the Nets got swept in the first round by the Raptors. DeAndre Jordan left in 2021 and the Kyrie and Durant pair broke up in 2023 when both of them got traded to their current franchise. Durant’s play-off luck did not change though. The Suns got swept in first round again last season by the Timberwolves and now another off-season of speculation is ahead of him.

Will Kevin Durant Stay With the Suns?

No sooner the Suns fell prey to the Timberwolves, questions started popping up about Durant’s future. The 2-time NBA Finals MVP will enter the 3rd year of his $194,219,320, 4-year contract signed in 2022. With the disappointment of their Big 3 of Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Durant, the Suns are stuck in a rock and a hard place.

There were murmurs about Durant being unhappy with the Suns’ system but now with Mike Budenholzer at the helm things can change. Despite that, the trade rumors persist. According to Jonathan Givony, the Rockets can be a possible destination for the 35-year-old. But with the Suns literally putting their future on the line to acquire Durant, things might look unlikely.

Another potential destination can see Durant joining Anthony Edwards. With their financial constraints, the T’wolves can trade Karl-Anthony Towns plus another player in return for Durant and a few other draft picks can solve the situation for both teams. The Warriors reunion buzz is like a yearly event for Durant so we’ll throw that in as well. But with the Paris Olympics ahead, Durant’s focus is on getting a fourth Gold medal with the national team. So until the end of the Olympics, we can give these trade rumors a rest.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what brand maker, Leonard Armato, had to say about the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe, check out this video