An Emotional Kevin Durant Reflects on Time with Nets, Kyrie Irving, James Harden
In his introductory press conference with the Phoenix Suns on Thursday afternoon, Kevin Durant reflected on the "special four years" of his NBA career with the Brooklyn Nets.
The 13-time NBA All-Star choked up a bit when he was speaking about his time with the Nets organization. He is upset that he couldn't finish what he started when he signed with Brooklyn during the 2019 off-season, falling well short of fulfilling championship expectations. Durant also admitted that he was out of the loop when Kyrie Irving requested to be traded out of the borough.
Overall Durant, unlike Kyrie Irving, holds no hard feelings toward the Nets organization as he enters the next chapter of his career in the Valley of the Sun.
Here is a summary of everything Durant said about his tenure with the Nets during his introductory Suns' press conference ...
How Would You Sum Up Your Time In Brooklyn?
“It was a lot of ups and downs but I loved the grind. Everybody in Brooklyn loved the grind too. I built a family over there. They're always going to be a part of my journey. We didn’t accomplish what we wanted to accomplish as far as winning a championship. I enjoyed the grind. Everybody there we tried our hardest every day regardless of what was going on in the media and what was going on with our teammates. Everybody that was in that gym, we grinded. I love those guys. I get emotional talking about it because that was a special 4 years of my career coming off an Achilles. They helped me through a lot. It was terrible how some stuff went down but at the end of the day, I love the grind. We all loved the grind there in Brooklyn. I wish them the best going forward and they got a bright future."
Why Don't You Think It Worked There For You Guys (Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden) Together?
"We just didn't get on the court enough. I think when you see James, Kyrie and myself, it was amazing basketball for 17 games though," Durant joked. "In order for you to win a championship and be a great team, you just need more time on the floor. It's another story about why we didn't get out on the floor together, but we didn't get enough time on the floor. Those are Hall of Fame players I learned a lot from every day. I wish them the best as well. It just didn't work out."
What Was Your Reaction To Kyrie Irving's Trade Request? Is Any Part Of You Disappointed That You Couldn't Finish What You Started?
"I was upset that we couldn't finish. I thought we had some good momentum. We were finally building the culture that we always wanted. I felt like every game we were building our chemistry but I didn't know what was going on with Kyrie and his situation with the organization. I didn't really focus on that. I focused on what we were doing on the court. It was a blow to our team. It took away our identity. He was a huge, huge part of what we do. He's a Hall of Fame player. A great, great player that can do everything on the floor. We relied on that. So without him, we didn't have a clear identity. That was tough for me to stomach and I love playing with those guys throughout the year. I felt like we had dudes that were stepping up and doing stuff that they didn't do on their previous teams. I enjoyed everything about it. It was tough not to finish the season. I just tried to move forward as quickly as I can and try to figure something out for myself, but also still focused on rehabbing and getting back. It all happened so fast but I'm glad it worked out this way."
