Durant Is Unsure What To Expect In His Return To Brooklyn After His Complicated Legacy With The Nets – News18

NEW YORK: Kevin Durant isn’t certain what to anticipate when he returns to Brooklyn.

Fans might cheer him, specializing in the joy that Durant delivered as among the best gamers ever to put on a Nets uniform.

Or maybe there’s an excessive amount of resentment over how shortly he needed to put on one other group’s.

It ought to be a variety of feelings Wednesday when Durant performs in Brooklyn for the primary time since being traded to the Phoenix Suns almost a yr in the past.

“It just depends on how the people wake up,” Durant mentioned. “A lot of people don’t know what to say or how to feel about me. It’s up in the air on what may happen.”

The followers have been undeniably thrilled in July 2019, when Durant and Kyrie Irving determined collectively to signal with the Nets as free brokers. Both gamers have been gone simply 3 1/2 years later, winners of a grand whole of 1 playoff collection whereas they have been in Brooklyn.

Durant had extra commerce requests than that, asking out after the 2021-22 season, then once more in the midst of final season after the Nets dealt Irving to Dallas. Durant appears to grasp the difficult legacy he left, responding to a query on X, the platform previously generally known as Twitter, about whether or not he deserved a tribute video by saying he didn’t need one.

“The people that follow the Brooklyn Nets, they understood what we went through and those little moments that we had and shared as a team that the fans rallied around,” Durant mentioned. “Hopefully, they can remember that stuff.”

Stuff like Durant’s franchise-report 29.9 factors per recreation in 2021-22. Or his memorable postseason performances in opposition to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks within the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals: 49 factors, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in a Game 5 victory, 48 factors in a Game 7 time beyond regulation loss.

Things have been solely imagined to get higher for Brooklyn after that. Irving and James Harden have been damage in most of that collection, however having their Big Three again and wholesome made the Nets a favourite to win their first NBA title in 2022.

Instead, issues fell aside shortly. Irving refused to get vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19 and was ineligible to play in residence video games for a lot of the season. Durant injured his knee in the course of the season. Harden received pissed off and was despatched on the 2022 commerce deadline to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons, who by no means performed that season due to again issues.

Afterward, a upset Durant mentioned he needed to be traded. The Nets resisted and it gave the impression to be the suitable resolution once they surged up the East standings final season after firing Steve Nash and changing him with Jacque Vaughn in November. Durant performed brilliantly and no matter bothered him in the summertime appeared a factor of the previous.

“I know people won’t believe it, but it was some fun, fun times,” Durant mentioned. “We had some adversity, but getting to know other players who had to step up in those moments throughout that adversity was fun. They filled in for what we were missing and they did that at a phenomenal level and we all had fun in the process. Last season was some of the funnest basketball I ever played.”

But he injured his knee once more in January and by no means performed for the Nets once more, despatched to Phoenix in a deal that introduced Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson to Brooklyn.

The Nets held on to make the playoffs final season however are struggling now, badly lacking the scoring that Durant might present when video games are shut. They don’t have the potential of the Durant period, nor have they got the drama.

Durant mentioned he nonetheless talks to some folks within the group and loves New York.

On Wednesday, Nets followers can present whether or not they nonetheless love Durant.

“I never know how people are going to react,” Durant mentioned. “I don’t expect anything from anyone. I just want them to do whatever they do that’s going to allow them to have some fun that night.”

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)