Getty Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns reacts in the first half against Chicago Bulls at United Center.
In the Aftermath of the 2023 NBA trade deadline, all parties seem content with the outcomes of the blockbuster trades that saw the Brooklyn Nets send All-NBA forward Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns and Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks. In his latest interview with NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic, Durant said that despite demanding a trade from the franchise, he wants to see the Nets thrive in the future.
“Nah, hell nah. I want the best for that organization. I wanted the best for us every game. I hated it had to go down like that,” Durant said to The Athletic.
“I wasn’t trying to prove the Nets is a s***** organization. I was trying to prove that the Nets are a great organization, that they care about their players, and want the best for their players. Certain s— just didn’t work out. I understand that.”
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Kevin Durant Praises Nets Organization
Throughout his tenure, Durant showed extreme commitment to the Nets organization. After James Harden and Kyrie Irving went down with injuries in the second round of the 2021 NBA playoffs, Durant played all 48 minutes of a pivotal game five against the Milwaukee Bucks, despite being less than two years removed from a career-threatening Achilles injury.
When Kyrie chose to remain unvaccinated and got sidelined by the Nets in 2021, Durant did everything in his power to keep the Nets afloat in the playoff standings, even after Harden got traded to the Sixers at the 2022 deadline.
This season, despite a lackluster roster outside of him and Kyrie Irving, Durant had the Nets threatening for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. But for all that Durant gave while he was in a Nets jersey, he wants people to know that the organization did equally as much for him.
“I’m not here trying to prove that the Nets were wrong, I think they did amazing by me the whole time I was there, not just with the trade. Coming off the Achilles injury, get back into playing — they made sure they were there for me every step of the way,” Durant added.
“And I appreciate that for life. I feel like we’ll be tied as family members for life regardless of how it finished.”
Mikal Bridges Has Been Stud in Brooklyn
One could argue that Durant continued to show the Nets gratitude even with his trade demand. By making the Suns his preferred trade destination, Durant opened a door for the Nets to acquire Mikal Bridges from Phoenix, who has been an absolute stud since the day he arrived in Brooklyn.
Bridges has been playing at an All-Star level, averaging 26.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game for the Nets. He is also shooting a scorching 49.5 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Bridges is also extremely durable. Last season he was one out of five players to appear in all 82 regular season games. To take it a step further, he has never missed a game over his five-year NBA career. A complete 180-degree turn from what the Nets have experienced in the past. The superstar era may be over in Brooklyn for the moment, but the future is extremely bright.