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“He Wants to Win”: Former Knicks All-Star Comes to the Aid of ‘Egoless’ Kevin Durant After a Turbulent Off-Season for the Two-Time Champion

Published 09/02/2022, 7:30 AM EDT

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The Kevin Durant saga with the Brooklyn Nets is officially over. After initially making his trade request to Nets owner Joe Tsai, there have been reports all off-season that Durant will leave the Nets. However, after meeting with the owner, GM, and head coach, Durant has ultimately decided to stay at the Nets. However, his legacy and reputation seem to have taken a massive hit. And a former Nets assistant coach has come out to the defense of Durant.

Many people have criticized Durant for requesting to leave the Nets. He had just signed a four-year extension with the franchise, which is set to kick in at the start of the season. So the Nets did not have any pressure to trade Durant. They were listening to offers but they weren’t convinced by any in the end.

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However, the main goal of the Nets was to keep Kevin Durant. And they were trying their best to convince him to stay. Eventually, they were able to do that and the Nets will now seemingly keep KD for the foreseeable future.

Amar’e Stoudemire says it will work out between Steve Nash and Kevin Durant

One of the few players who had come out and defended Durant was former New York Knicks star Amar’e Stoudemire. He has worked with both Durant and Nash in the past. He was Nash’s partner in crime for six years at the Phoenix Suns. And he was the Brooklyn Nets assistant coach back in 2020.

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He addressed the situation in Brooklyn. He said,” I think it’s always been up and downs for coaches and star players, throughout the history of the game of basketball… Both of those guys are egoless right? Steve is an egoless player, Kevin Durant is also an egoless player. He wants to win, he wants to make his teammates better.” 

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“So I think with those two guys having that kind of mentality and personality, it will work out for them,” he concluded.

WATCH THIS STORY: How did Kevin Durant make millions off the court? 

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Kevin Durant is undoubtedly an ultra competitor and last season’s playoff exit will not have sat right with him. He will be raring to prove his haters wrong. And it seems like he has a good team around him to do so. Kyrie Irving is back and the Nets can finally see the debut of Ben Simmons after his long wait on the sidelines due to injuries last season.

How do you think the Brooklyn Nets will fare next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by:

Vishwesha Kumar

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Vishwesha Kumar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Holder of a Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, Vishwesha has been writing content for about 3 years now. He has been following the NBA for nearly 10 years, since first starting off in the year 2012.
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Edited by:

Veer Badani