Kevin Durant was one of the architects of a spectacular failed superteam on the Brooklyn Nets. While Durant never let anyone down on the court when he was playing, a whole number of factors ensured that the Nets’ push for a title from 2019 to 2022 remained fruitless due to injuries, COVID-19, and other factors.
Durant reflected on his tenure with the Nets when he returned to the team’s arena with the Phoenix Suns tonight. He openly called that version of the Nets the ideal basketball situation on the court but admitted that injuries and COVID ensured they couldn’t succeed.
“Injuries. Covid. Us not getting on the court. I think those two were the biggest factors. A lot of people would like to say our attitudes or personalities didn’t mesh well. There are a lot of narratives going around about each individual player, me, James, and Kyrie about our mentality as men. But once we got on the court and we actually played together, and you saw the culture we were building, it was something the fans could get behind.”
“That first year when James got here halfway through the season, that was some of the most incredible basketball that I’ve seen and played in. Moreso than anything, the locker room, the buzz around the players and the hotels, that was a culture we were building. A lot of people couldn’t see it but it was special, just the bond we formed. That was the reason why I wanted to be here.”
“The main thing was that we couldn’t get on the court together. Injuries to me, James, and Kyrie played a factor, along with Covid. That whole thing confused a lot of sh*t. I think basketball-wise, chemistry-wise, I thought it was the perfect ideal situation.”
Durant scored 24 points (8-15 FG) with eight rebounds back in Brooklyn tonight, leading the Suns to a 108-84 win.
It’s hard to point the finger at Durant when we look at how the Nets broke up within a few years of building a top-tier contending roster.
Their best shot at a title came in the 2021 Playoffs when they looked a class above their opponents until injuries to both Kyrie Irving and James Harden sunk the franchise in the second round to the Milwaukee Bucks despite Kevin Durant’s heroics as the sole healthy star.
The Nets blew up primarily because Kyrie Irving had a rough time with the franchise, struggling with injuries and then struggling to accept a forced vaccination to play basketball games. He sat out over half a season because he didn’t want to get vaccinated, prompting Harden to force his way out and essentially ending their chances of a title run.
After Harden’s departure, the Nets would get swept in the first round of the 2022 Playoffs before a half-season worth of trade rumors culminated with Kyrie being sent to the Dallas Mavericks in February 2023 and Durant being sent to the Phoenix Suns.
Crucially, the Nets intentionally sent Kyrie to the Mavericks instead of the Los Angeles Lakers because of how he treated the franchise during his time with them. They respected Durant’s wishes by sending him to the only destination he wanted to join – the Phoenix Suns.
He’s averaging 27.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists for the Suns right now, but it’s clear that this roster won’t reach the same levels of excellence the Nets reached in their short-lived peak.
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