Kyrie Irving spoke about Kevin Durant's trade to the Phoenix Suns hours after he made his own debut with a new team in the Dallas Mavericks.
"I'm just praying for his happiness, praying for his well-being," Irving said. "We had a lot of conversations throughout the year of what our futures were going to look like. There was still a level of uncertainty, but we just cared about seeing each other be places that we can thrive -- whether that be together, whether that be apart. There's never been one moment where I felt like he's been angry at me for decisions I've made or I've been angry at him. We just tried to understand each other a lot better and grow as human beings, grow as brothers.
"This business changes so quickly. He's getting a little bit older. I'm getting a little bit older. I just love the competition now that we can be in the same conference, and I welcome all that. Get to see him a little bit more, probably playing against Phoenix a lot more, and that's what I'm looking forward to. Everything else in between -- I'm just glad that he got out of there."
Irving and Durant joined the Nets together as free agents in 2019. Both players requested trades from the Nets during the 2022 offseason after Irving and the Nets were unable to agree to an extension. Both players were traded by the Nets within days of each other ahead of the trade deadline.
