Video: Kevin Durant Praises James Harden, Feels They Were 'Pissed' About Nets Trades

After their first head-to-head encounter in nearly two years on Monday night, Kevin Durant had high praise for James Harden in response to a question about how things ended with the Brooklyn Nets.

Speaking to reporters after the Los Angeles Clippers' 138-111 win over the Phoenix Suns, Durant said both players were "pissed" about the situation with the Nets before calling Harden someone he "really, really" loves as a brother.

This was the first time Harden and Durant played against each other since both players were traded by the Nets. They did square off in March 2022 when Durant was still with Brooklyn and Harden was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Harden was the first member of Brooklyn's big three to be traded when he was sent to the Sixers on Feb. 10. 2022. The 10-time All-Star told Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports he wanted to leave the Nets because there was "no structure" within the organization:

"I don't mean to, like, just down talk to anybody or whatever. It was just, there was no structure and even superstars, they need structure. That's what allows us to be the best players and leaders for our respective organizations. ... I just feel like, internally, things weren't what I expected when I was trying to get traded there. I think everybody knows that."

Weitzman noted in the story that Durant and Harden "butted heads" early in the 2021-22 season because Durant didn't feel like Harden was in peak physical condition.

Durant and Harden will be closely associated with each other throughout their entire NBA careers. They were drafted by the same franchise two years apart and spent three years together before Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets in October 2012.

They were paired up again when the Rockets traded Harden to Brooklyn in January 2021. The reunion only lasted a total of 43 games over 13 months due to injuries.

Harden got the advantage in their first matchup as Western Conference players. He had 19 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on Monday night. Durant scored 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting, but the Suns lost for the third time in their last four games.