Durant and Irving defend their position

From the summer of 2019 until earlier this month, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving managed to elevate expectations for a major pro sports championship here in Brooklyn higher than they had been since the mid-1950s.

Now, they’ve both moved on, and neither feels the least bit hesitant to say it was a positive move to leave the Nets and their unrequited title hopes behind.

“Why doesn’t anyone have the ability to ask for trades? That’s my question,” queried Irving after putting up 32 points and 15 assists during Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game in Utah.

Both Durant and Irving did eventually ask for trades, even though the latter was initially enthused to stay in Brooklyn last summer before Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks opted not to ink the mercurial guard to a long-term deal.

Instead, Irving opted in to his $36.5 million option fot this season, leaving Marks to move him for value prior to this month’s trade deadline.

Durant took note of the team’s decision not to bring back Irving on an extended pact and spent most of the summer asking out of Brooklyn. Tsai and Marks stuck to their guns, waiting for the right deal to come along.

Neither player can be criticized for how he performed for the Nets this season, however.
Durant was averaging 30.0 points per contest before he went down with a knee injury on Jan. 9, and wound up being dealt to Phoenix.

Irving, though he served an eight-game suspension earlier in the year, was netting just over 27 per contest before being jettisoned to the Mavericks.

But it was evident from the start of the campaign that both were likely headed elsewhere.

“When did it become terrible to make great business decisions for yourself and your happiness and peace…