Kyrie Irving made his debut with the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday evening, scoring 24 points en route to helping them to a 110-104 road win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Immediately after the game came to an end in Southern California, reports broke that Irving’s former Brooklyn Nets squad had dealt Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns in one of the biggest blockbuster trades in NBA history.
This deal came a little over 24 hours after Irving’s trade to the Mavericks became official. In his first post-game presser in Dallas, Irving was asked about his former teammate being dealt. He talked about going up against Durant moving forward in the Western Conference while also taking a parting shot at the Nets.
“Competition as brothers. You know, I am just praying for his happiness and praying for his well-being. We had a lot of conversations throughout the year. What our futures are going to look like. There was a certain level of uncertainty. Just seeing eachother be in places that we can thrive.
Whether that be together or be apart. There’s never been one moment that I felt like he’s been angry at me for the decisions I’ve made. We just tried to understand one another better. Grow as human beings. He’s getting a little bit older. I am getting a little bit older. I just love the competition now we’re in the same conference. I am just glad that he got out of there (Brooklyn).”
Kyrie Irving on Kevin Durant trade to the Phoenix Suns
Shots fired!
It also shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given what Irving had to say about his former Nets team following this week’s blockbuster trade. The future Hall of Famer played the victim card on a near never-ending loop in his Mavericks introductory press conference on Tuesday.
“There were times throughout this process when I was in Brooklyn where I felt very disrespected. No one ever talks about my work ethic,” Kyrie Irving after trade to the Mavericks. Everyone talks about what I’m doing off the floor. I just want to change that narrative.”
Related: Kyrie Irving trade winners and losers
Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant now conference rivals
It’s crazy to think about. Just a couple short weeks ago, the Nets were in the midst of a stretch that saw them win 18 of 20 games. Both Durant and Irving were doing their thing on the court.
Fast forward a couple weeks, and they’ll be competing in the Western Conference for a shot at the NBA Finals.
Following Wednesday’s action, Irving’s new Mavericks team is the No. 4 seed in the conference. Meanwhile, Durant and his Phoenix Suns are the fifth seed. They boast identical 30-26 records. If the season were to end today, the two would face off in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Let that sink in for a second.
As a whole, the Western Conference is one big cluster mess. A total of 3.5 games divide the No. 3 seed Sacramento Kings and a Golden State Warriors squad that currently boasts the ninth-best mark in the conference. In between, Durant and Irving find themselves just four games out of the second seed in the conference.
Related: Kevin Durant trade winners and losers
There’s a whole lot of basketball still to be played. And with the NBA trade deadline coming in the matter of hours, things could continue to change.
It’s the NBA, where drama takes hold and sleep is a foreign term. Kyrie Irving’s post-game comments and the blockbuster Durant trade are two recent examples of this.