Kevin Durant will compete against several familiar faces when the Phoenix Suns take on the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday at Footprint Center. While his Nets tenure ended sourly, the 14-time All-Star voiced strong feelings about his former team before the matchup.
“I’m a Net for life. I’m always gonna say that; I always feel that. It’s gonna be in my heart and my blood forever,” Durant told azcentral’s Dana Scott. “So it’s always good to see family, people that I grinded with. But they’re playing great ball. People didn’t expect them to be out here beating teams like Golden State… They have some good wins throughout the season so far. So looking forward to seeing everybody and competing against them.”
Wednesday will mark Durant’s third meeting with the Nets since they traded him to the Suns at the 2023 deadline.
Kevin Durant emphasizes strong connection to Nets before upcoming matchup
Durant never reached the heights he envisioned with Brooklyn after joining alongside Kyrie Irving in 2019. He won two playoff series with the team while battling numerous injuries and off-court developments surrounding his co-star.
The Nets appeared destined for a title after acquiring James Harden at the 2021 trade deadline. They steamrolled the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs while posting one of the highest offensive ratings in NBA history.
Despite Harden injuring his hamstring on the opening possession of the second round against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Nets went up 2-0, leading by 49 points during Game 2. After Irving injured his ankle in Game 3, Durant pushed the Bucks to overtime in Game 7, infamously coming a shoe size short of taking down the eventual champions.
He averaged 43.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists on 54 percent shooting over the series’ final three games.
The Nets entered 2021-22 as title favorites. However, a New York City COVID-19 vaccine mandate derailed the season, with Irving ruled ineligible to play in home games. Harden quit on the team midway through the year and was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for a package centered on Ben Simmons.
After being swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, Durant requested a trade despite entering the first season of a four-year contract extension. With the Nets refusing to trade him, he issued an ultimatum to owner Joe Tsai during the offseason, telling him to fire general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash if he wanted him to stay.
Tsai refused, and Durant returned to Brooklyn to start 2022-23. The Nets showed promise, posting an 18-2 stretch after firing Nash and replacing him with Jacque Vaughn. However, an MCL sprain would sideline Durant for an extended period, and after being unable to reach an extension with the team, Irving requested a trade before the deadline.
The Nets moved the guard to the Mavericks. Durant re-emphasized his desire to be traded and was dealt to Phoenix for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, four first-round picks, one first-round pick swap and two second-round picks.
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Nets and Suns on divergent paths two years removed from Durant trade
Two years later, the deal has laid a solid foundation for the Nets as they enter a rebuild.
Brooklyn used one of the Suns’ first-round picks on Noah Clowney in the 2023 draft. After flipping Bridges to the New York Knicks and executing a subsequent deal with the Memphis Grizzlies this summer, their haul for Durant grew to Johnson, Clowney, Bojan Bogdanović, Ziaire Williams, eight first-round picks, two first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks.
They used several of the Suns’ picks to regain control of their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks from the Houston Rockets, given them a chance to land a top prospect next June.
Meanwhile, Durant has yet to see the team success he hoped for with Phoenix. The revamped squad lost in the second round of the 2023 playoffs before being swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round last season.
The Suns have posted a 10-7 record to start 2024-25 despite Durant and Bradley Beal missing extended time. They’ll look to build momentum against the shorthanded Nets, who just picked up back-to-back wins over the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.
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