Kevin Durant opens up about Nets departure for Suns, reiterates Brooklyn 'just didn't work out'

The Nets sent shockwaves through the NBA early in the morning of Feb. 9 after trading star Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns, just days after the team traded away Kyrie Irving.

The move immediately made the Suns a legitimate championship contender and put Brooklyn in an awkward position of both trying to make the playoffs and entering a rebuilding phase. Durant has been outspoken about his time with the Nets, saying that he "enjoyed the grind" of playing in New York but also acknowledged that "it just didn't work out."

Durant spoke to The Athletic's Shams Charania this week and opened up more about his departure from Brooklyn by explaining his thought process after the team traded Irving.

"Once he asked out, I was just trying to figure out what direction the team is going in," Durant said. "Once I had no understanding of what direction we’re going in, I tried to make the best decision for me."

The two-time NBA Finals MVP made it clear that he has no hard feelings towards the Nets and reiterated that it "didn't work out," despite the organization accommodating him during his rehab from Achilles surgery. When asked if he felt vindicated, Durant was to the point.

"Nah. Hell nah. I want the best for that organization. I wanted the best for us every game. I hated it had to go down like that," Durant said. "I wasn’t trying to prove the Nets is a s--tty organization. I was trying to prove that the Nets are a great organization, that they care about their players, want the best for their players.

"Certain s--t just didn’t work out. I understand that. I’m not here trying to prove that the Nets was wrong, I think they did amazing by me the whole time I was there, not just with the trade. Coming off the Achilles injury, get back into playing — they made sure they were there for me every step of the way. And I appreciate that for life. I feel like we’ll be tied as family members for life regardless of how it finished."

Durant returned to the Suns lineup on Wednesday after missing 10 games with a sprained ankle and scored 16 points over 29 minutes in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Phoenix is now 41-35 on the season and currently holds the No. 4 seed in the tight Western Conference standings. The 34-year-old went on to say that he's "looking forward to the challenge" of leading the Suns and is not worried about a "championship window" due to his age.

"I take it one day at a time," Durant said. "I don’t even look at windows. I’m not talking about championships. I’m focused on: How can we be great, how can we maximize every day."