In his first time speaking publicly in about five months, Kevin Durant aired his grievances about the culture that led to his trade request.
Durant, back with the Nets after reportedly telling owner Joe Tsai that he wanted GM Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash fired, pointed at a lack of resiliency from last season’s team that raised doubts in his mind.
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“I wanted everybody to be held accountable for their habits as a basketball player,” Durant said Monday at Nets Media Day.
“I think a lot of stuff was getting swept under the rug because we’re injured or this guy’s not around or just the circumstances. I thought we could have fought through that a little bit more and focused on the guys that were here a little bit more.”
Durant hurt his knee in January, which began the sharp downturn of what had been an Eastern Conference contender.
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“When I went out with the injury, we lost 10 in a row,” said Durant, who is signed through 2025-26.
“And I’m like, we shouldn’t be losing some of these games that we lost, regardless of who’s on the floor. So I was more so worried about how we’re approaching every day as a basketball team. And I felt like we could have fought through a lot of the stuff that I felt that held us back.”
Durant is back with the Nets despite Marks and Nash being retained.
He said he is “committed to moving forward with the team” and understands why he was not traded.
“I know I’m that good that you’re just not going to give me away,” Durant said.
The Nets were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Celtics. Durant was asked if he is confident the Nets will have a better culture this season.
“It’s a year of growth, a year of looking in the mirror and (knowing) we f–ked up,” Durant said.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission
