Both last summer when Kevin Durant first requested a trade and again last week, when the deal went through, one recurring theme emerged from conversations with Nets fans. They swear they will never wear a star’s jersey again. “If the player has no loyalty, then why should I?” is the logic and it’s hard to argue with.
As both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving said over All-Star Weekend, they believe that player empowerment trumps contractual obligations. The reining attitude among stars and superstars (and their agents) is take the big money contract with the years of guaranteed income.