Now that they’ve finally started a rebuild two years later, Kevin Durant has watched from afar and said he can see the Nets heading in the right direction.

Kevin Durant ’s return to Barclays Center as a member of the Phoenix Suns on Friday night was more than just another game in the 2024-25 NBA season. The former Brooklyn Nets star, who spent three and a half seasons with the team (he did sit out the entire 2019-20 season), took time to reflect on his tenure with the Nets.

Suns star Kevin Durant, back for his second trip to Barclays Center since being traded, said he is proud of what the Nets were building despite the "dysfunction" that prevented him, Kyrie Irving and James Harden from taking the court together.

Kevin Durant is proud of what he believed the Nets were building in Brooklyn before “dysfunction” brought it quickly crashing down. Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden played just 16 games together and their tenure became better known for the chaos off the court than the brilliant basketball they delivered on it.

Kevin Durant’s stint with the Brooklyn Nets shows how quickly things can change in the NBA. In 2021, the Nets looked like the favorite to win it all; instead, thanks to Durant’s huge shoe size, they were unable to knock out the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA playoffs.