Kevin Durant Says Trade Request Came from 'Some Doubt' About Nets' Culture, Stability

Kevin Durant spoke with reporters at the Brooklyn Nets' media day on Monday, offering insight into his trade request and his lack of surprise that he wasn't dealt.

"I committed to this organization for four years last summer, with the idea that we were going to play with that group that we kinda went on that little round to the second round with [in the 2020-21 postseason]. I felt like another year of that, us being healthy, we were building something toward the future. Then as the season went on—you saw what happened last season, guys in and out of the lineup, injuries, just a lot of uncertainty which built some doubt in my mind about the next four years of my career. I'm getting older, I want to be in a place that's stable. Trying to build a championship culture, so I had some doubts about that. And I voiced them to [team governor Joe Tsai]. And we moved forward from there."

Durant added that he liked the offseason moves the Nets and general manager Sean Marks made over the summer, and he feels as though the difficulties of last season may serve as motivation for this year's group.

"A year of us looking in the mirror, like, 'We f--ked up as a team,' and that only makes you better," he told reporters.

The Nets faced what felt like a decade's worth of adversity and controversy in the 2021-22 season.

Durant's running mate, Kyrie Irving, wasn't able to play in the large majority of the team's home games in Brooklyn due to New York City's vaccination rules for city employees, and he started the year away from the team altogether. James Harden grew unhappy and forced a trade, eventually moving to the Philadelphia 76ers. The centerpiece of Brooklyn's return for Harden, Ben Simmons, never played for the team because of a back injury. Durant's injury issues limited him to just 55 games.

The result was a berth in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, where the Nets advanced and faced the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. They were immediately swept—an embarrassing outcome for a team with Brooklyn's collection of talent.

That led to a summer of uncertainty. Irving was on the trade block before opting in to his player option. Durant made his own trade request. Just three summers after joining forces, it appeared as though the duo may be breaking apart.

Instead, they'll give it at least one more go, with Irving's looming free agency next summer still hanging over the season. There is little doubt that the Nets are loaded with talent.

The question is whether they can avoid the level of drama that engulfed the 2021-22 season.