Kevin Durant Says He 'Liked Working with' Steve Nash After HC Parts Ways with Nets

Kevin Durant made headlines this offseason when Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the 12-time All-Star gave a him-or-me ultimatum regarding Steve Nash to Brooklyn Nets governor Joe Tsai, but the forward had positive things to say about his former head coach Tuesday.

"Let's be real. We're pros. We're veterans. We had a tough start," Durant told reporters after the Nets announced they parted ways with the coach. " ... We knew that everybody was being evaluated. That's just how it is in the league. I liked working with Steve."

To say things did not go according to plan for Nash in Brooklyn would be an understatement.

It started off well, with the team making the second round of the playoffs in his first season and narrowly losing to the eventual-champion Milwaukee Bucks. However, the 2021-22 campaign was loaded with disappointments.

Kyrie Irving missed much of the season because he remained unvaccinated against COVID-19, Durant was sidelined at times with injuries and James Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that brought Ben Simmons to the Nets.

Simmons didn't play at all, and the Boston Celtics swept Brooklyn in the first round of the playoffs.

That was the backdrop heading into a tumultuous offseason that included Irving trade rumors and the Durant ultimatum. Then the Nets got off to a 2-5 start, and they decided to move on from Nash and start a new coaching search.

Charania reported that suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka "has emerged as a strong frontrunner" in that search. The suspension came after an independent law firm hired by the Celtics found that Udoka broke team rules.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the investigation determined "he used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman."

For now, Brooklyn has named assistant coach Jacque Vaughn as the interim head coach. He served previously in this role for the Nets when Kenny Atkinson stepped down midway through the 2020-21 season.

Durant will eventually need to form a new relationship with another coach, but he said he ended up enjoying his time with Nash, even if it ended without a championship.