Kevin Durant putting up a trade request after Kyrie Irving opting in for his last year shook the sports world on Thursday. And fans think this should be the end of his comparisons with LeBron James.
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Every Kyrie to LA and KD to someplace else news died the day Irving decided to honour his last year of the contract and opted in for $36 million in Brooklyn. Durant being at a happier place after his friend opted in was everyone’s point of focus in this whole thing.
Nobody from any media outlet was coming up with any more rumours for the two and thought they were not going anywhere and who thought they might, thought Irving would be the one, and that would not be at least until the mid-season.
So, the NBA media and fans were set to see them run it back. But then the 6’10 forward of the Nets shocked the world Thursday evening when he put a trade request straight up to Joseph C. Tsai.
NBA Twitter wants all comparisons between LeBron James and Kevin Durant to end after the latter’s desire to go to the #1 seeds yet again.
The 2x Finals MVP, on his trade request to the Nets’ owner, reportedly had Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat as desirable destinations, both of whom were the #1 seed in their conferences last season. If he does get to any of the places he wants, it would be a second move out of the three in his career where he would join a championship contender and the best ones at that.
And NBA Twitter had the best reaction to it when it came out saying that there should never be a comparison involving him and LeBron James because the 4x champion, even though he has been a part of some big teams, never went to a team that was doing great or was already a contender before him going there.
LeBron went to a 33 win Cavs team and a 35 win Lakers team – won rings with both while honoring his contract. Durant went to a 1 seed, is again pushing for a 1 seed after signing an extension. Don’t want to hear these two ever compared again.
— Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) June 30, 2022
When he joined the Heat in 2010, it was a 47-35 team that had been knocked out of the Playoffs in the first round or didn’t make it there for the past four seasons. He led them to 4-straight Finals in four years, winning two.
When he returned to Cleveland in 2014, they hadn’t been even a 10th seed in the past four years of the King’s absence. He led them to 4 straight Finals as well, winning his hometown club a championship that would be the first in their history.
That pattern of Playoffs success broke when he came to LA in 2018, because of his season-ending injury in 2019, but he did deliver a championship in his second year in the club, much like his last two stops.
