LAS VEGAS — Royce O’Neale said he’s happy to be on the Nets, regardless of the ongoing Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving drama. And Nic Claxton said the Nets have “unfinished business,” whether the two stars are back or not.
Claxton — who re-signed as a restricted free agent — came to the Nets’ summer league opener, a 94-90 loss to the Bucks on Friday night, with O’Neale and said he never had any intention of leaving Brooklyn.
“Nah, I’m happy to be here. I feel like we’ve got unfinished business, regardless of who’s going to be rocking with us next year,” Claxton said. “I’m ready to come out and just make a difference, continue to get better and help us win games.”
Of course, Durant and Irving may not be rocking with the Nets next year. Durant has demanded a trade and Irving seems sure to be dealt as well. The Durant news shook up the entire NBA landscape — and reached Claxton down in the Caribbean.
“I was actually I was in the Dominican Republic. I was riding horses. And I heard that … all the news,” Claxton said. “And I just had to make sure I was straight, honestly. Make sure everything was [OK].”
At the time, Claxton — whom the Nets nearly shipped to Toronto for a first-round pick during the season and who feared he’d be dealt at the trade deadline — was still a restricted free agent and unsigned. But he eventually inked a two-year, $20 million contract, one that will pay him $9.6 million this upcoming season.
While Durant has reportedly “gone dark,” ignoring calls from other NBA stars trying to recruit him to their teams, Claxton said he has heard from both Durant and Irving.
“Oh, I heard from most of the guys, just checking in, congratulations here and there,” said Claxton, who has not been actively trying to persuade Durant and Irving to remain in Brooklyn. “Nah. That’s above my pay grade”
The news of Durant’s trade request broke June 30, the day before the four-year extension he had signed kicked in. Minutes later, reports surfaced that O’Neale was being traded from the Jazz to the Nets for a 2023 first-round pick.
The Nets will give the Jazz the least favorable of their two picks, either the 76ers’ selection acquired from the James Harden deal or their pick-swap with the Rockets.
“My news I thought was great, and that happened and I was ‘oh.’ I feel like my news went under the rug a little bit,” O’Neale said. “But I’m excited. It’s going to be fun. Brooklyn’s a change from Utah. Definitely going to be a great experience.
“[I’ll help] any way I can. Just try to be the guy I’ve been doing, not be anyone I’m not. But I know what got me here and what’s going to keep me being here, so just learning any way I can and doing what I got to do offensively and defensively.”
O’Neale averaged 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds last season for Utah and was one of the top defenders on a 49-33 squad that finished fifth in the Western Conference. He’s 29, and along with the re-signing of veteran Patty Mills, those are not the moves of a team bracing for a bottoming-out rebuilding. But O’Neale wouldn’t hazard a guess whether there was any chance to retain Durant and Irving.
“I mean, I ain’t got nothing to do with that. I don’t know nothing about that,” O’Neale said with a laugh. “But definitely with all those guys, it’s a special group we got right now. I think we can do something special. It’s going to be fun.”