NBA News Roundup, Tuesday, July 2nd: Kawhi Leonard heading to Los Angeles, Jimmy Butler joins the Miami Heat and more

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant decided to join the Brooklyn Nets 'months ago'

Durant and Irving will provide the Brooklyn Nets with a formidable All-Star pairing

The significant story from the opening night of free agency arrived when Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant announced their decision to form an All-Star pairing in Brooklyn. While it was widely known that Irving would link up with the Nets, the addition of Durant was a huge surprise.

Nevertheless, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald is claiming that the deal was completed months ago:

I do know there was some tampering across the league. Kyrie and Kevin Durant were done in Brooklyn months ago.

After adding Durant and Irving, the Nets now boast one of the best rosters in the NBA. However, the team is expected to be without KD for the entire 19-20 season as the 2014 MVP recovers from an Achilles tear.