For all the grief Kevin Durant has gotten over the last year due to a perceived lack of loyalty, he can relate to the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas blockbuster.
In an appearance this week on “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Durant commented on the trade and on the greater concept of loyalty in sports.
“It’s gonna be pretty sweet,” said Durant of Irving landing with the Boston Celtics. “I think it was a great deal. But I just think Kyrie just wanted a place where he can focus on just playing basketball and not worrying about the other drama that comes with.
“When you just love to play the game, the NBA kind of adds so much baggage on top of it from the business side to the media,” he continued. “And when you just wanna play and not worry about that stuff, you try to find a place where you can do that, and Kyrie, I’m sure he had to know he was going to Boston. He wasn’t blindsided at all. I’m sure he was OK with going to Boston.”
Durant also gave his two cents on Thomas’ situation, something that many were upset about in how hastily he seemed to be dealt away by the Celtics.
“It’s been happening for years,” the reigning Finals MVP said. “Guys have been getting traded in their sleep for years. Guys have been getting the s–tty end of the stick for years. I mean, some guys have been f—ing over organizations too. It’s no loyalty. It’s business. There’s money involved.
“Those relationships that you have with trainers and teammates and anybody in the organization, that’s loyalty,” Durant added. “That’s friendship. That’s relationship. That’s something that’s gonna last forever. But when it comes to numbers on a paper, at the end of the day, that trumps everything. ‘Does this dude fit into our salary cap or into our plans? Nah, let’s see what we can get for him.’ Like, that’s just a part of the game.”
Durant’s own situation was obviously a bit different as he chose to sign with Golden State out of his own accord as a free agent. But the trade and its aftermath have rubbed other NBA superstars the wrong way as well, especially from Thomas’ standpoint. The nature of the game has forced players to put their own self-interest above all else, and Durant’s comments (and to a greater extent, his free agent decision) are further confirmation of that much.
