Report: Nets have surprising stance on possibly losing Durant and Irving

May 8, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) warms up before game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets are facing the possibility of their superteam’s collapse this offseason. A new report suggests they would not see that as the worst possible outcome.

In an appearance on ESPN’s “This Just In,” reporter Brian Windhorst revealed that the Nets would rather lose both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving rather than repeat the drama and difficulty of the 2021-22 season.

"[The Nets] are prepared to lose both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant."@WindhorstESPN on the state of the Nets. pic.twitter.com/7faWTkbl9j

— ESPN (@espn) June 27, 2022

“The Nets are putting out there right now that they are prepared to lose both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant,” Windhorst said. “They would rather lose them both than go through what they went through last season, which was a miserable season under the situation that Kyrie Irving contributed to creating.”

Windhorst added that he was skeptical of the Nets’ claim, and he wondered aloud if it was a negotiating tactic to pressure Irving.

Given how much money and effort the Nets invested in building a team around Durant and Irving, this might come as a surprise. However, there is no disputing that the formula was not working. The Nets were swept by the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs after needing to a win a play-in game just to get that far. That can be chalked up partly to Durant’s injuries and Irving’s absence for the bulk of home games, but they did not look terribly effective with both playing either.

One issue the Nets may be running into is that Irving will not go just anywhere. Still, it may be a small price to pay to be free from the headaches.