Colin Cowherd has an issue with Kevin Durant’s decision to leave the Golden State Warriors and sign with the Brooklyn Nets.
Nets general manager Sean Marks revealed Tuesday he learned of Durant’s decision via Instagram, before even speaking to or meeting with the 10-time All-Star. This suggests Durant choose Brooklyn because of Kyrie Irving, who opted out of his contract with the Boston Celtics to join the Nets, and Cowherd explained Wednesday on FS1 why he has a problem with that approach to free agency.
“We all know there’s some people you have flings with and there’s some people you marry,” Cowherd said. “Steph Curry’s temperament is the kind that lasts forever. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson will hang out forever. That’s a marriage — their personalities, their temperaments, they’re givers. Kyrie Irving and (Russell) Westbrook — history tells you, résumés tell you — are flings. It’s hot, it’s cold, the earth is flat, confrontational with coaches, confrontational with players.
“Kevin Durant chose Kyrie Irving’s temperament and personality over Steph Curry’s. I believe Steph Curry, that’s what you marry. I believe Kyrie Irving, that’s the fling.”
It’s unclear whether Durant will play this season after rupturing his Achilles during Game 5 of the NBA Finals, but the Nets figure to be legitimate contenders once he returns. Brooklyn already was on the rise thanks to its young core, and the combination of Durant and Irving could be enough to put the Nets over the top in the Eastern Conference, which will be even more wide open with Kawhi Leonard leaving the Toronto Raptors for the Los Angeles Clippers.
That said, the Durant-Irving tandem might prove volatile given their respective egos. And that’s the point Cowherd hammered home Wednesday, emphasizing Stephen Curry’s demeanor and the stability Durant left behind in the Bay Area.
“Steph Curry is very Tom Brady. Just look at him — family, give, support, relinquish,” Cowherd said. “Kyrie Irving is the opposite of that.”
