The Nets finally gave up on the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving era at the 2023 NBA trade deadline, shipping their two stars out just months after moving James Harden to the 76ers.
After Harden, Irving was next to go as he was traded to the Mavericks for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and two future second-rounders. Durant's departure came four days later when he was traded to the Suns for Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder and four future first-round picks.
Almost one year to the date, Durant will make his first return to Brooklyn since the trade when the Suns take on the Nets on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
For a star player like Durant, who spent three-plus seasons with the Nets (albeit one from the sidelines as he recovered from an Achilles injury), it is not uncommon to see a homecoming complete with a tribute video.
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With Durant's return quickly approaching, the topic of a potential tribute video became a trend among Nets fans on X, formerly known as Twitter. As we've seen from Durant in the past, he was not afraid to log on and share his opinion.
Will Kevin Durant get a tribute video in return to Brooklyn?
The answer remains to be seen, but Durant made it clear that he does not want one.
The discussion started with "Locked on Nets" podcast host Adam Armbrecht replied to Nets reporter Billy Reinhardt's poll asking if Durant deserved a tribute video.
Durant replied to the thread, saying, "Please don't, the night will be better without it."
An X user by the name of NetsFrequent replied, saying, "He requested more trades than playoff series won during his time here. Why would we give him a tribute video?" with a crying laughing emoji.
Durant was candid in his response again, saying, "Seems like me and nets frequent on the same page."
KD doesn’t want a tribute video from the Nets 👀 pic.twitter.com/43FBful4tj
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 28, 2024
The final Durant post came in a reply to an X user by the name of PsychoNetsFan, who wrote, "What would be in a [Durant] Nets tribute video? I seriously mean that. The offseason buffoonery? Him selling during the Celtics series? Wasted years for Nets fans and the organization. Just let that career sunset."
Durant was simple in his response, posting, "I agree wit u."
Video tributes typically occur during the break between the first and second quarters of a game. We'll have to wait and see if the Nets listened to their former star's request.
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How many games did Kevin Durant play with the Nets?
Durant played in 129 regular season games with the Nets over three-plus years. He also played in 16 playoff games.
Durant signed a four-year, $164 million max contract with the Nets during the 2019 offseason with the understanding that he would miss the entirety of the 2019-20 season while recovering from a torn Achilles.
He didn't make his Nets debut until the 2020-21 season, but a hamstring strain limited him to just 35 regular season games. In 2021-22, Durant suffered a left MCL injury that limited him to 55 games. In 2022-23, he suffered a right MCL sprain that limited him to 39 games with the Nets before being traded to the Suns.
The short-lived hype around Brooklyn's star duo came to a close with Durant and Irving only playing 74 games together over three and a half seasons. The "Big 3" with Harden only played 16 games together over two partial seasons.
What was the Nets' record with Kevin Durant?
Over 129 regular season games, Durant went an impressive 85-44 with the Nets. His playoff record wasn't as successful, as he went 7-9 with only one series win.
Kevin Durant Nets stats
- 129 games
- 35.7 minutes per game
- 29.0 points per game
- 7.1 rebounds per game
- 5.8 assists per game
- 1.2 blocks per game
- 0.8 steals per game
- 53.5 FG%
- 40.0 3P%
- 91.0 FT%
