It remains to be seen whether the Nets will give Kevin Durant a tribute video when he returns to Barclays Center on Wednesday. However, after an underwhelming tenure that ended with two trade requests, the two-time MVP made it known he doesn't want one.
“Please don’t, the night will be better without it,” Durant said in response to a poll on X.
Despite his tumultuous tenure, Durant is unquestionably the best player ever to wear a Nets uniform. The 14-time All-Star averaged 29.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists on 53.5 percent shooting over 129 appearances with the team.
Cam Thomas, who grew close with Durant after the Nets selected him in the 2021 draft, reacted to his former teammate saying he doesn't want a tribute.
“KD just be trolling. Y'all know how he do,” Thomas said with a laugh. “I'm sure they'll give him one. He did a lot here, whether people want to say he didn't or not. He did a lot for New York. He just be trolling. Don't listen to Kevin.”
While Thomas provided some levity, Durant's time with the Nets was marred by off-court drama and underwhelming on-court results. After he sat out the 2019-20 season with a ruptured Achilles, Brooklyn fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 2021 playoffs before being swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics in 2022.
“What did I do to deserve [a video]?” Durant asked The Arizona Republic. “Seriously, or is it because of my name? I’m just another player, man. I don’t deserve none of this extra attention, everybody looking at me when the game starts. The game is about all the players on the court. It ain’t about me. I was there for three years, four years and we didn’t accomplish anything worth being celebrated for.”
“I don’t feel like I deserve one. I didn’t feel like I stayed there long enough. I didn’t put in enough work. I didn’t leave a lasting impact… Me and the fans didn’t connect enough for me to feel like a part of them. That’s just my thoughts.”
Durant may have left a lasting impact if not for poor luck in the 2021 playoffs. After dismantling the Celtics in the first round, the Nets looked like overwhelming title favorites. However, James Harden pulled his hamstring during the opening minutes of Game 1 of the second round vs. the Bucks.
Brooklyn still went up 2-0, leading by as many as 49 points in Game 2. However, Kyrie Irving injured his ankle in Game 3, allowing Milwaukee to even the series at 2-2. Durant turned in his best game as a Net in Game 5, posting 49 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists to lead Brooklyn to a 17-point comeback.
“That’s the only game that had a lasting impact on anybody,” Durant said of the performance.
The Bucks won Game 6 convincingly at home. Durant scored 48 points in Game 7 and nearly won the game in the final seconds of regulation with what would have been a historic shot. However, his toe was on the three-point line. Milwaukee would win in overtime, 115-111.
The Nets suspended Irving at the beginning of the next season after he refused to comply with New York City's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, Harden forced his way out at the deadline, and Boston dominated Brooklyn during a first-round sweep.
Despite signing a four-year contract extension, Durant requested a trade the following offseason. He later demanded that owner Joe Tsai fire head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks if the Nets wanted him to stay. The two sides eventually agreed to move forward together in 2022-23.
However, Irving requested a trade at the 2023 deadline after he and the team could not agree on a contract extension. He had been suspended earlier in the season for posting a link to an antisemitic film, one of several off-court controversies during his Nets tenure. Brooklyn dealt the star guard to the Dallas Mavericks, after which Durant re-initiated his trade request.
The Nets acquiesced, trading him to the Phoenix Suns, his preferred destination, for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, four first-round picks, one first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks.
“I just think if we had more time, for sure, we could’ve did some special s–t, but we didn’t have no time,” Durant said of his Nets tenure. “I know when I’m done playing, every team I play for going to want to be attached to me in some way, but when I’m playing. Right now, it doesn’t make any sense… I have no clue what they’ll do, but if you’re asking my opinion.”
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