Kevin Durant heard thunderous applause from Suns fans during his introductory press conference in Phoenix on Thursday, but cheers quickly turned to boos as soon as Durant was asked about his time in Brooklyn.
But for Durant, what had been all smiles turned to near tears when he began to look back on his four seasons with the Nets, which ended with a second trade request in a matter of months.
“It was a lot of ups and downs, but I loved the grind,” Durant said. “Everyone in Brooklyn loved the grind too. I built a family there. they’re always gonna be a part of my journey.
“We didn’t accomplish what we wanted to accomplish, but I enjoyed the grind, and everyone in there, we tried our hardest every day, regardless of what was going on with the media, what was going on with our teammates. Everyone that was there, we grinded. I get emotional talking about it because that was a special four years of my career. Coming off an Achilles, they helped me through a lot. Yeah, it was terrible how some stuff went down…but I wish them the best going forward, and they got a bright future.”
Durant also faced the same question that Brooklyn’s other departing stars in Kyrie Irving and James Harden were asked when they left: why did one of the most talented trios in NBA history win just one playoff series together, and why did it end with all three asking for a trade?
Durant kept his focus on the court, pointing to how little the three actually played together, and how dynamic they were when they were actually able to share the floor.
“We just didn’t get on the court enough,” Durant said. “When you saw James, Kyrie, and myself, it was amazing basketball, for 17 games though. In order to win a championship and to be a great team, you just 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 on the floor. Those are Hall of Fame players that I learned a lot from every day, and I wish them the best as well. It just didn’t work out.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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