On paper, the Brooklyn Nets were the strongest NBA candidate to win it all this season. That pairing of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving was as exciting as it was explosive. Yet, paper doesn't win championships.
There was always something going on with this team. If it wasn't that James Harden was out of shape, it was Kyrie's protest of the vaccine mandate. Then KD got hurt, Harden got shipped away, and Ben Simmons didn't even play at all.
But throughout everything that happened during the season, there was one thing that never changed: Kyrie Irving failed them. He didn't put basketball first and even when he did, he didn't live up to the expectations.
NBA News: Kenyon Martin Says Kevin Durant Should Have A Major Issue With Kyrie Irving
That's why former Nets star Kenyon Martin didn't mince his words on the situation. Per Martin, Durant should be mad at Irving for how he failed to commit to the team, especially considering he could've signed anywhere:
“I would have had a major, major issue with Kyrie Irving if I was Kevin Durant," Martin said on SiriusXM Radio. "I could have went anywhere else and picked anyone else to play with. But we made the decision together to come here and do this."
"And this season, you failed me as a friend, as a teammate, as a brother, as a competitor. All of those things you failed me at," Martin added. "Ain't no way I'm out here exchanging handhshakes with you and you did that to me."
"We signed up for this together. So you say you give a voice to the voiceless," Martin continued. "Okay cool, what about us? What about these people, what about these guys that you have to compete with, who you signed up to do this with? Are we just supposed to sit back and accept this? Nah, that was unacceptable to me."
Durant Made A Mistake And Should Ditch Kyrie, Says Martin
Martin also claimed that Durant made the wrong decision back in 2019. He chose to leave a good team with a winning culture in the Golden State Warriors just to play with his best friend Kyrie.
"And I think he did pick the wrong situation, especially from where he came from. He could have stayed in Golden State, they could have ironed out their differences," the former first-overall pick said. "They could have ran the league for the foreseeable future. But he made the decision to come and play with Kyrie."
Then, he went as far as to say that he should force the Nets' hand to either let Kyrie walk or trade him instead. Per Martin, Kyrie's selfishness has already become a major issue for the franchise:
“If not him, then trade me. He has to go man because it’s not about us," Martin sentenced. "We athletes are selfish to a certain degree, but when that selfishness comes before our team and what we’re trying to accomplish, then that’s a problem.”
Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the chances of KD leaving Kyrie are close to zero. He's always had Irving's back regardless of how little commitment he's shown to the Nets organization.
