On the afternoon of June 30, 2019, Kevin Durant posted on Instagram that he would be leaving the Golden State Warriors. The next day, Kyrie Irving made it official that he would depart the Boston Celtics as an unrestricted free agent.
The destination for both: Brooklyn.
The NBA was abuzz, of course. Durant and Irving were considered two of the 10 best players in the league. Maybe top five.
Now they were united in making a so-called super team and possible champion out of a forlorn Nets franchise that lived in the shadow of the New York Knicks despite that franchise’s decades of playoff frustrations.