The biggest development in the NBA prior to the league’s trade deadline last month arguably was the split of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, which sent Irving to the Dallas Mavericks and Durant to the Phoenix Suns.
Of course, the two had previously been teammates on the Brooklyn Nets before Irving’s trade request essentially forced the franchise to move in a new direction.
Some have wondered what the relationship is currently like between Irving and Durant, and it looks like a key piece of information has now come to light. According to the NBA insider Brian Windhorst, the two superstar players essentially don’t have a relationship right now.
“He (Durant) said last week…on his podcast that he and Kyrie had not had a discussion since their breakup,” Windhorst began. “Well, I’m here to tell you that discussion has still not happened. And it didn’t happen yesterday, and it didn’t happen postgame yesterday, and frankly, I don’t know when it’s going to happen because the only relationship they have right now is zero relationship.”
Given the reputations that Durant and Irving have, it really is not at all surprising that this is how their partnership ended. In fact, it initially seemed like it was going to end much sooner.
As NBA fans surely remember, Durant was the one to request a trade over the summer. Though he eventually rescinded that request, it seemed very possible that the days of the superstar duo in Brooklyn were numbered.
Now, the two find themselves on new teams with new star teammates. Of course, Irving has partnered with Luka Doncic. So far, that duo has delivered mixed results.
The Suns, on the other hand, are surging. Durant has fit in seamlessly alongside Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton, and the team looks like a real championship contender. The Suns have won seven of their last 10 games and are currently tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets for the longest active winning streak in the Western Conference (three games).
Both Dallas and Phoenix are currently projected to advance to the postseason, though the Mavs would have to deal with the play-in tournament if the season ended today. It’d be high NBA drama if the Mavs and Suns were to meet in the playoffs.
