Now, months later and with the Nets in a tenuous position at best, Durant explained the reasons behind his request in an interview with TNT’s Chris Haynes. Basically, the former MVP said he wanted out of the Nets because he was unhappy with the level of tension around him and how much the team’s failures could be attributed to him: “It wasn’t hard at all to ask for a trade because it was a ball,” Durant told B/R. “I went to them and said, ‘Well, I don’t like the way we’re preparing. I don’t like shooting. I like training. I need more. I want to work on more st. Hold me accountable Put my ass on tape if it’s going to help you get over everyone’s head. “That was the type of st I was coming to them with. It wasn’t like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got to make sure everyone around me can make my life easier.’ Hell, I want to make everybody else’s life easier . Ask Steve Nash, you can go call him right now. I’d be like, ‘Yeah, I need more closing drills. We need to practice more.” That’s where I was. “I wasn’t feeling that, and nobody had the same vibe with me. Jacque Vaughn is. I had some complaints over the summer and my complaints weren’t just about me, it was about how we move as a unit. I want us to be respected here in the world of basketball. I don’t want the players to look at us and say, ‘Oh, man, these [expletive] they are full of s—t. That’s not the type of team I want to be in.’ So when we all play as st, you know which person they will look at. That’s why I asked for a trade.” Durant also discussed why the team fell flat last season, admitting the team didn’t have “good conditioning” or “high energy,” something he believes is changing under new Nets coach Jacque Vaughn. The story continues
Kevin Durant’s Nets continue to struggle
It’s been something of a nightmare season for the Nets, even with Durant looking as good as ever with 30.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Kyrie Irving, Durant’s right-hand man throughout his tenure with the Nets, remains suspended for sharing and refusing to report an anti-Semitic video on social media, though he is reportedly nearing a comeback. Ben Simmons, the Nets’ presumptive third star, has been in and out of the lineup with a knee injury. Most of all, the team has a 6-9 record in what was supposed to be a contender season, a year after finishing 44-38 and getting swept in the first round, ending what was supposed to be a contender season. It might be unfair to put it on Durant, though he chose to join the Nets and clearly had a say in many of their major decisions. He certainly seems to think that way, noting the talent around him right now and acknowledging the expectations he still faces. He also insisted he’s having a great time with the Nets: “Look at our starting line-up. Edmond Sumner, Royce O’Neale, Joe Harris, [Nic] Claxton and me. No disrespect, but what do you expect from this team?” Durant told B/R. “You expect us to win because I’m out there. So if you’re watching through that lens, you expect to play well because No. 7 is out there. “I’m having a really good time. I wish you could hear me talk during the game. If I put a microphone on more, people would stop asking me if I’m happy or not. I’m enjoying every moment I step on this field of king, and part of it is because I tore my Achilles. And the pandemic, I didn’t know if we were going to play again. I didn’t know if I was going to play again. “I was just like, ‘This can’t be for me.’ Gotta really enjoy every moment I’m out here. That’s part of being a professional. I have to coach, I have to knock down shots, I have to be aggressive and I have to talk to my teammates right. That’s the journey and the battle.” Given that he’s in the first year of a four-year, $198 million contract extension, it’s probably a good thing Durant is happy. We’ll see if that changes if the Nets don’t turn it around this season. Kevin Durant is still one of the best players in the NBA. The Nets are still fighting. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
