Kevin Durant demanding a trade this offseason sent shockwaves throughout the league. After just 3 seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, of which he was active in only 2, the star forward craves a change of scenery.
His struggles in the playoffs against the Boston Celtics last season reveal more than meets the eye. The Nets’ dugout appears to be in turmoil. Their two superstars, Durant and Kyrie Irving are reportedly going through a fallout. There is widespread speculation around the NBA that Durant demanded a trade with an ulterior motive, which is he might be sick of Irving’s unreliability.
Skip Bayless, known for his hot takes, discussed the situation in Brooklyn. According to him, Kevin Durant crumbled psychologically. Moreover, the analyst went on to call him thin-skinned.
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Skip Bayless blasts Kevin Durant for his psychological flaws
Mike James recently sent shockwaves around the internet when he revealed that Kevin Durant was convinced the Nets will not make a deep playoff push.
"[Kevin Durant] called me before the playoffs start, he's like, 'Yeah, I'm gonna be there [at your playoff game] in like a couple weeks. We fitting to lose.'" 🤯
— Mike James
(via @PlayersChoice_, h/t @blbuckets3)pic.twitter.com/f6wQY4wzHF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 1, 2022
Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless discussed the contentious topic on the “Undisputed“. Skip claimed that Durant appeared to have given up before stepping on the floor against the Boston Celtics.
“It’s almost like he (Durant) gave up before he stepped on the floor,” Skip said. “It’s not like they (Boston Celtics) made him quit on the floor. He just didn’t seem like his heart was in it at all. I just couldn’t recognize him.”
Skip then went on to bash Kevin Durant for his “psychological flaws”, calling him “the thinnest skin superstar” he has seen.
He said, “There was a lot going on behind the scenes and I’m not defending him on this. I’ve called him the thinnest skin superstar I’ve ever closely observed. I don’t love that about him… I love his ability. I still think he is the best player on the planet because he’s the most gifted player on the planet and I still think he can play at an extremely high level.”
“But the point is he has his psychological flaws and this was a huge one because he followed Kyrie to Brooklyn and then he feels like Kyrie gave up on the team…just quit on the whole show and left him hanging.”?
Skip Bayless’ opinion of his favorite player appears to have shifted dramatically. This isn’t the first time, as Skip stated, that he’s referred to Durant as being thin-skinned. He claimed that the star forward is the weirdest mix he’s ever seen, calling him “thin-skinned and cold-blooded.”
Durant is known to strike back at anyone on social media who chastises him. With the analyst questioning Durant’s character, this might elicit a reaction. However, if Durant lets such things get under his skin, Skip’s comments will be validated even more.
A Durant trade is crucial for a LeBron-Kyrie reunion, claims Skip
Every day, fresh speculations about Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving‘s future with the Nets surface, leaving fans perplexed. If Durant is on his way out, it implies a LeBron James-Kyrie Irving reunion is quite likely, according to Skip Bayless.
He said, “The single best thing for LeBron James is for Kevin Durant to hold firm with his trade demand and force his way out of Brooklyn because I don’t think they want to keep Kyrie alone.”
Shannon Sharpe agreed with Skip. He claimed that a franchise does not want Kyrie to be the leader in the locker room. Moreover, he went on to give the example of his tenure with the Boston Celtics. He said that they fared much better after Kyrie got injured and left Boston.
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It’s safe to speculate that LeBron James reuniting with Kyrie Irving will be a nightmare for the league. As seen by their exploits in the 2016 NBA Finals, the two make a formidable tandem.
Six years ago, Kyrie and LeBron became the first teammates in the Finals to score at least 40 in a game 🔥
Despite trailing 3-1, they went on to win the series and the title pic.twitter.com/nKGJQfuPjX
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 13, 2022
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Will a Kyrie Irving and LeBron James reunion take place? Only time will tell.
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