Wilson Chandler: “I’d heard that Kyrie wanted to go to New York; I just didn’t know if it would be New York or Brooklyn. I knew there was a chance that they might get him. KD was more of a surprise. But then again, you kept hearing that those guys wanted to play together for a while, so it wasn’t that surprising after Kyrie signed.”
Garrett Temple: “Honestly, I had an idea that Kyrie would be going to Brooklyn and I knew they had a great young core coming back too. That had a lot to do with my decision to sign there. I didn’t know KD was going to sign, but I had an idea that it was a possibility – that he could be going there. That factored in as well.”
Trevor Booker (who was one of Marks’ first signings in Brooklyn): “Around four or five years ago, I used to hear rumors about KD going to Brooklyn; I just didn’t know how true they were. But this summer, it finally happened. It was something that players had been discussing for a while. He had the ties to Jay Z and there were rumors circulating. I don’t know if it’s always been in the back of his mind or what, but he and Kyrie and DeAndre chose a great organization.”
Garrett Temple: ”I talked to Kyrie on July 2 and he told me that he put together a list of free agents that he wanted to play with. I don’t know who else was on there, but he told me that I was on his list. He said he knew what I brought to the table and he enjoyed competing against me. Obviously, I’d have to guard him every time we played against him, so he knows what kind of competitor I am and what I can do. We had a great conversation after we had both committed.”
Sources told HoopsHype that Irving had conversations with a number of free agents, including some who didn’t ultimately end up in Brooklyn like Thaddeus Young and Iman Shumpert.
After making these comments, fans outside of Brooklyn laughed at him for believing that a star would consider the Nets. Little did fans know, he and Irving had begun talking a few months earlier and Brooklyn would soon land two superstar free agents. Dinwiddie got the last laugh.
Spencer Dinwiddie: “It shows that our program as a whole took a huge step forward – one that I don’t think many people thought was possible. Even when you and I talked about it previously on the podcast, people were mocking me! I was very upfront and said, ‘Hey, I’d welcome stars with open arms,’ but everybody laughed at it. The reaction was, ‘Alright, that sounds good, but it ain’t going to happen.’ I guess it just makes this experience that much sweeter (laughs).”
https://hoopshype.com/2019/07/27/nba-brooklyn-nets-free-agency-rumors-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving-deandre-marks-dinwiddie-temple-chandler/
