It was Kevin Durant's trade request that officially ended the Nets' recent feud.
Now that the rebuild has finally begun two years later, Durant said he's been watching from afar and can see it heading in the right direction.
Durant took the Suns to Barclays Center on Wednesday, where he combined with Kyrie Irving and James Harden to form one of the most powerful Big Threes in NBA history.
But they lost badly, winning just one playoff series in the four seasons Durant and Irving spent together.
“Even though we went through a lot of dysfunction, we still have a lot of fans who remember and appreciate those days. For lack of a better word, if you can call it that. But despite that, a lot of people still cheered and came to the venue and cheered loudly for the basketball game and for the Nets,” Durant said. “I've been here in this borough of Brooklyn, little brother. It's always been fun to be the little brother and represent my little brother in the city.”
Durant famously rejected his big brother, refusing to allow the Knicks to come to Brooklyn in a package deal with Irving in 2019.
They scouted Harden to form a Big 3, but they lost to eventual champion Milwaukee in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals with injuries to Harden and Irving.
Irving will miss two-thirds of next season after refusing to comply with the city's coronavirus vaccination mandate, and Harden requested a move at the trade deadline.
After Irving did the same thing at the deadline the following year, Durant finally asked.
The Big 3 collapsed due to various factors and ended up playing in just 16 games.
“We just haven't been able to be on the court because of injuries, because of COVID,” Durant said. “Those were the two biggest factors. People will say our attitudes and our three personalities just didn't mesh well. [There were] There are a lot of stories going around about individual players like myself, James, Kyrie, their mentality as men. But once we got on the court and actually played together and saw the culture that we were building, we knew it was something our fans could get behind.
“The first year James came here in the middle of the season, it was some of the greatest basketball I've ever seen, and I played, too. But what was bigger than that was the locker room, the bus. When we got on board, when we got on the plane, and in the hotel” — that was the culture we were building. I'm sure there are many people who haven't been able to see it, but I'd like them to see it. It was special.
“The most important thing is that we weren't able to be on the court together and there were a lot of injuries. Injuries to myself, James and Kyrie were factors. In addition to COVID-19, , all of which are exactly [caused] Lots of ST. ”
Durant averaged an impressive 27.3 points for Barclays, but at age 36, he hit just .500 (21-21) with the Suns.
Brooklyn was 14-30, but leads the NBA in both salary cap space this summer (estimated at $65 million) and future first-round picks (15, four of which are due this June). .
Most of those draft acquisitions came directly or indirectly from trades for Durant: eight unprotected firsts, another lightly protected first, and a swap.
“I definitely want to see this franchise succeed,” Durant said of the Nets. “What do you mean the picks they got are 12, 13? Assets, the most important thing for a rebuilding group is assets. The product that's on the floor may not be compatible with some games. Yes, they looked great when they beat us early in the season, but then they lose to the Clippers by 40 or 50 points and it might not be great.
“But when you look at the big picture, you have young players who are getting experience and playing time. You're building assets, you're getting future picks. And you're drafting well and putting together a team well. So I think they're going in the right direction. I think the fans definitely want to see great basketball on the floor, and I think that's going to come to this team.”
