Nets' Durant: 'I am committed to this team'

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant told reporters at media day Monday that he is committed to the team moving forward. 

“I feel like I don’t need to prove anything to Nets fans... I'm committed to moving forward with this team. So if [fans] got doubts, I can't control that, that's on you. You see me, you know what I do, you know how much I care about playing and how much I care about my teammates," he said.

In late June, it was reported that Durant requested a trade from the Nets and multiple teams were believed to be actively engaged with Brooklyn in trade talks. But weeks passed without any deal being reached and nearly two months later, the Nets and Durant announced they had reached a resolution and agreed to move forward. The 12-time All-Star has four years remaining on his current contract.

Durant said he isn't surprised he's still with the Nets after a tumultuous summer.

“I know I’m that good that you’re not just going to give me away," Durant said. "That's one thing I did appreciate about [general manager] Sean [Marks] and [owner] Joe [Tsai] that's like, you're too great for us to give you away. It's that easy, it's that simple. I get that. I know who I am."

The 33-year-old Durant averaged 29.6 points on 51.8 per cent shooting last season and guided the Nets to their fourth straight playoff appearance. But the Nets were swept in the opening round by the Boston Celtics where Durant struggled by his standards, scoring 26.3 a night while shooting 38.6 per cent. It was Durant's second active season in Brooklyn since joining the team in the summer of 2019 alongside Kyrie Irving, who only played in 29 games last season.

Durant missed the entire 2020-21 season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered during the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors while with the Golden State Warriors.