During his introductory press conference as the newest member of the Phoenix Suns, Kevin Durant had nothing but positive things to say about his tumultuous tenure with the Brooklyn Nets.
The Suns and Nets were the two sides of not only the biggest trade of the 2023 NBA trade deadline but arguably the most impactful deadline deal of the decade. In sending Kevin Durant to the Suns, the Western Conference squad became a favorite to reach the NBA Finals this season and every following year as long as the 13-time All-Star is on the team.
The drama in Brooklyn over the last few seasons has been well-documented, and Durant asking for an escape from New York a second time in the last six months was not completely unexpected. Yet, despite his frustrations with his time there and not being willing to finish out his current deal in NYC, the 34-year-old actually became emotional after being asked to sum up his time in Brooklyn.
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“It was a lot of ups and downs, but I love the grind. Everybody in Brooklyn loved the grind too, so I built a family over there. They’re always going to be a part of my journey, so we didn’t accomplish what we wanted to accomplish by winning a championship, but I enjoyed the grind. We tried are hardest every day, regardless of what was going on in the media, going on with our teammates.
“I love those guys, I get emotional talking about it because that was a special four years of my career. Coming off an Achilles [tear]. They helped me through a lot. It was terrible how some stuff went down, but at the end of the day, I loved the grind. I wish them the best going forward.”
– Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant explains why the Brooklyn Nets ‘Big Three’ failed
There was so much hope for the “Big Three” of Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden that was forged in Brooklyn. However, the group seemed almost doomed from the start after Irving took a hard stance on not acquiescing to COVID vaccine mandates, and choosing not to compete with his superstar teammates for much of the period they were together.
Furthermore, various injuries to the trio also hampered their progress before they were broken up at the NBA trade deadline last season. When asked Thursday why the three-headed scoring monster didn’t work, Kevin Durant felt the lack of actual time together was the trio and Brooklyn’s undoing.
“We just didn’t get on the court enough. I think when you saw James, Kyrie, and myself, it was amazing basketball, but for 17 games though. In order for you to win a championship and be a great team, you need more time on the floor. It’s another story about why we didn’t get on the floor together but we just didn’t get enough time. Those are Hall-of-Fame players I learned a lot from every day. It just didn’t work out.”
– Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is expected to make his Phoenix Suns debut after the NBA All-Star break.