Kevin Durant has an entire season’s worth of introspection to do until October this season after his Brooklyn Nets’ campaign ended with a whimper in a first-round sweep loss to the Boston Celtics. The Nets faced heaps of drama all season long, be it from the vaccination status of Kyrie Irving or the trade for Ben Simmons that saw James Harden head to Philadelphia.
Durant had an extensive interview with Yahoo Sports about the failed season and everything that transpired. At the same time, KD spoke about the input superstar players have or don’t have in personnel decisions.
Durant busted that myth and said nobody has that much control, including LeBron James with the LA Lakers, as many have pointed fingers at LBJ for the poor roster construction of LA. KD called it a media narrative and even spoke about how Steph Curry deals with the same in Golden State.
NBA: Kevin Durant on friendship with Kyrie; LeBron-like influence https://t.co/oS2RNwepaB via @Yahoo
— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) April 26, 2022
“I feel like that’s a narrative that [media created]. I don’t even think LeBron does that,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “He might have input or know some information. But him saying [pointing left], ‘This is who you should get.’ [Points right.] ‘That’s who you should get,’ I don’t think it works like that.
“I’ve been around Steph, he doesn’t work like that. Let people do their jobs. It’s not on me to overstep what they do. I’m just here to support. If they need me to text or call somebody that may come, of course.”
Durant did reveal the level to which he involves himself with Brooklyn’s front office, narrating the story of how they recruited Goran Dragic to come and join the team while he was on the buyout market at the trade deadline. Dragic was the most sought-after free agent in February and allegedly chose the Nets after the Dallas Mavericks stopped pursuing him.
“I’m not, ‘This is the list of guys,’ ” Durant said. “Sean [Marks, Nets general manager] will hit me, like, ‘Goran is interested, what you think?’ I [contacted] him. That’s always who I’ve been since I got here. I’ve never had control. I don’t want it. “I don’t want to know because I’m the ‘franchise player,’ it’s just the fact I want to know who my teammates are. It’s disrespectful for me to come and try to override what they do because of my status in the league. That’s not fair to them. Everybody has a career. I just want to know.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdmTRv2QGsQ
KD and the Nets have the bones of a roster to go through as they figure out how to return to contention next season. Despite their struggles, Durant and Kyrie Irving are still one of the most feared offensive tandems in the league. If Ben Simmons is healthy, they add a DPOY level playmaker that can ease the burden of creating for others on the floor.
Players like Bruce Brown and Seth Curry have proved their value to the team, but what about the rest? Blake Griffin had a small resurgence in the playoffs but was benched during a stretch of the regular season, so it’s unlikely he comes back for yet another season. They have a dual-big situation in Nicolas Claxton and Andre Drummond to work out as well, but Claxton’s age and perceived high ceiling may be enough to convince the Nets to bring him back.
Irving could leave the team in the off-season if he so wishes, but has already announced the intention to accept his player option and build the roster alongside the GM, owner, and KD.
Irving saying he and KD have a role in building the team contradicts the hands-off approach that KD claims to have with roster building. Star players should have their voices heard, but making moves to constantly appease the stars may not be the best for the long-term health of the franchise. Whether Irving just wants his voice heard or have more influence on the roster is something that we will find out over the summer.
KD has always shown he has a ‘go out and hoop’ mentality, so he will choose to accept whatever his team can build and take them to the court. Hopefully, the Nets can prepare something more competitive to ensure the twilight of Durant’s career isn’t wasted on a team that can’t compete atop the East.
