Best buds Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant both opted to leave their respective teams to sign with the Nets in free agency, but KD says joining forces wasn't something they planned.
In an exclusive interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Durant downplayed the notion he and Irving had the intention of teaming up all along.
“I think the friendship part of the league has really grown, especially since LeBron James and Dwyane Wade became such great friends and ended up playing together,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “People see friendship as the way guys are teaming up. There’s nothing wrong with people speculating. That’s just what it is, but we’re just good friends no matter what. We didn’t have to play together. It wasn’t necessary. But, we were friends before anything, and we just happened to want to hoop together. But it wasn’t a thing we planned. It just came together.”
Considering the Kyrie/KD "free agency meeting" video that went viral in February, plus all the other rumors of the two teaming up that lingered throughout the season, Celtics fans probably won't be buying what Durant is selling.
While their friendship played a role in their free-agency decisions, both Irving and Durant have named other motives for signing with Brooklyn. Irving made it clear he desired to play at home, and Durant told Haynes the Nets' "creative front office" made it an attractive destination.
It'll be a while before Durant and Irving take the court together, as the former Warriors star will spend the 2019-20 season recovering from a torn Achilles.
Irving will make his anticipated return to Boston on Nov. 27.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.