Durant: My summer trade request avoided in-season distraction
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant says his June trade request hasn't turned out to be detrimental to his team's success.
Durant insists the timing of his request was different from that of other stars, so even though the Nets held on to him, his actions never became a distraction for his teammates.
"This was a summertime thing. We wasn't playing no games," Durant told ESPN's Nick Friedell. "I didn't interfere with what we were doing on the court every day. It wasn't a question of what you were asking my teammates every day after a game or a practice. What I did didn't get in the way of the games that was being played, so I felt like that's the difference in everything.
"So we hashed that all up right before camp, and it was cool, it didn't get in the way of the hoops."
Stars in recent years, such as James Harden with the Houston Rockets in 2020 and Jimmy Butler with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2018, asked out early on in the season. Harden reportedly engaged in heated exchanges with teammates early in his final season after the Rockets refused to honor his trade request. Butler reportedly lashed out at teammates, coaches, and the Timberwolves' front office at a practice, making the situation untenable.
Houston dealt Harden to the Nets eight games into the 2020-21 season, while Minnesota sent Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers 10 games into the 2018-19 campaign.
With Durant, the Nets held firm despite reports that the star demanded the team trade him or fire head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks. Nash initially stayed put but was ultimately fired in November after a rocky 2-5 start. Marks remains the franchise's lead decision-maker.
The Nets won 12 straight games before the Chicago Bulls defeated them Wednesday. Brooklyn has a 25-13 record on the season, tied with three other clubs for the second-best mark in the league.
Durant is averaging 29.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game this season. He's shooting 56.8% from the field and 93.3% on free throws, both on pace for career-best marks.
The 34-year-old leads all Eastern Conference players in All-Star voting as of Thursday's first returns.