Kevin Durant hasn’t been shy about expressing his opinions this off-season and the reigning NBA Finals MVP is the latest to weigh in on the situation brewing in Cleveland between Cavaliers stars LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
James and Irving haven’t communicated since Irving requested a trade in July, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, but Durant said it’s par for the course in today’s NBA.
“It’s just a regular NBA problem, right? A lot of teams have gone through this before,” Durant told Haynes. “They’ll figure it out. That’s a great organization, a championship organization. They’ll figure it out.”
Since losing to Durant’s Golden State Warriors in the Finals earlier this summer, the Cavaliers have had a quiet off-season in terms of the transactions they’ve made, but a loud one when it comes to drama. First, the team’s general manager David Griffin didn’t have his contract renewed despite three consecutive trips to the Finals, including a championship in 2016. Then it was the Irving trade request and earlier this week reports surfaced suggesting James is “100 per cent leaving” the Cavs following the 2017-18 campaign. James, 32, can choose to become a free agent next year since he has a player option for 2018-19.
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It’s unclear exactly what James’s plans are and also what uniform Irving will be wearing come autumn. If Irving hasn’t been dealt by the time training camp rolls around it could be an awkward situation.
“It’s not the end of the world,” Durant added. “Both of those guys won a championship together. They love each other. If Kyrie wants to do something else, that’s on him. I’m sure whatever happens, it’ll work out for the best for both of them. But it’s just a normal NBA problem. It’s just two big stars that it’s happening to.”