Months after requesting a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, star forward Kevin Durant took part in an awkward media day with the organization on Monday.
While KD has since rescinded the trade request, it’s pretty clear that the two-time NBA Finals MVP still has questions about the direction of the organization.
“I voiced them to Joe Tsai (Nets owner). I’m getting older. I want to be in a place that’s stable and try to build a championship culture. We came to a mutual agreement that we should keep moving forward.”
Kevin Durant on concerns over the direction of the Brooklyn Nets
The enigmatic future Hall of Famer also went on to discuss Brooklyn’s struggles when he was sidelined last season, pretty much placing the blame on head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks in the process.
“When I went out with the injury, we lost 10 in a row. And I’m like, we shouldn’t be losing some of these games that we lost, regardless of who’s on the floor,” Durant said. “So I was more so worried about how we’re approaching every day as a basketball team. And I felt like we could have fought through a lot of the stuff that I felt that held us back.”
Brooklyn posted an 8-19 record in the 27 games Durant missed to injury last season. That included an 11-game losing streak spanning January and February. With Durant on the court, the Nets were a solid 36-19. This just goes to show us his importance to the organization.
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Kevin Durant contract and the direction of the Brooklyn Nets
Durant, 33, didn’t have much leverage in requesting a trade this past summer given that he was set to enter the first season of a four-year, $194.22 million extension with the team. Coupled with the Nets’ unreasonable asking price in at trade, and that’s one of the primary reasons he still remains in Brooklyn.
Durant’s comments about the direction of the team and its struggles when he was sidelined, comes after he gave Tsai an ultimatum. That included either firing both Nash and Marks or trading him. Obviously, nothing came to fruition on that end. But it’s clear that drama remains the name of the game in the Big Apple, especially after Tsai pushed back against said request a while back.
Despite this, all sides agreed that it makes sense to move forward with one another following several off-season meetings to clear the air.
“I’ve had plenty of talks with Steve (Nash) and Sean (Marks) throughout the season and what we needed to change as an organization. They know me, they know how much I care about our teammates and wanting to win. We all jumped on the same page. We are all professionals. We know how to adapt and move forward.”
Kevin Durant told the media on Monday
All of this perceived drama aside, KD and the Nets are primed for a bounce-back season should all of the moving parts remain relatively injury-free. Ben Simmons will soon make his Brooklyn debut. He didn’t play a single game after a mid-season trade from the Philadelphia 76ers due to a back injury. Kyrie Irving remains with the Nets after it seemed like he was going to be traded during the summer.
- Kevin Durant stats (2021-22): 29.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 6.4 APG, 52% shooting, 38% 3-point
Marks and Co. also went out there and added multiple veteran pieces to help build up the depth in Brooklyn. That included acquiring Royce O’Neale in a trade with the Utah Jazz as well as bringing in T.J. Warren and Markieff Morris in free agency.