You’re probably thinking, “This is crazy, Kevin Durant is not coming back; he forced a trade from the Nets,” and you’re most likely correct. It is highly unlikely Kevin Durant makes a return to the team he abandoned. However, given Durant’s recent comments in an interview he did, I cannot confidently say there is a 0% chance of it happening.
In a recent episode of the Boardroom Podcast with Anthony Edwards and Jalen Rose, Kevin Durant, somewhat unprompted, talked about how much he hated the Knicks growing up, playing for the Nets, and how Vince Carter was his childhood hero. Despite many fans having issues with Kevin Durant, there is no doubt he was beloved when he was in Brooklyn, with many fans still liking KD despite his trade request. Unlike the player we got in exchange for Durant in the Suns trade, KD embraced being in Brooklyn; he loved to antagonize the Knicks. Between 2020 and 2023, the Nets went 9-0 against the Knicks. Durant, in the five games he played versus New York during his tenure as a Net, averaged an elite 33.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 9.4 assists on 50% FG, 26% 3PT, and 89% FT.
Nets fans loved KD, and the feeling was mutual, and the Nets treated Durant like a superstar. The Nets were his team, and he knew it, something that he hadn’t experienced since he was in Oklahoma City. After getting traded to the Suns during the 2023 trade deadline, Durant was asked about his time in Brooklyn, and in a tearful response, he said, "I built a family over there. They're always going to be a part of my journey... I love those guys."
While it is evident that Durant still has an emotional attachment to the Nets, this doesn’t mean he would make a return. However, there were rumblings of Durant’s unhappiness in Phoenix, as the team underperformed in the playoffs, getting swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. The Suns are on a timer. With the possible ramifications of the CBA, Kevin Durant has the ability to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. Theoretically, there’s a chance that the Nets could be on an upward trajectory by then, as Nic Claxton will still be under contract, and assuming Cam Thomas gets an extension and takes a leap, he can possibly be an All-Star teammate that could attract Durant.
After a regular season game, Durant had nothing but compliments for Cam Thomas, saying, “The sky’s the limit for him.” With the Nets possibly being able to draft a generational prospect in Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, Dylan Harper, or VJ Edgecombe in the 2025 draft, and having 15 first-round picks over the next seven years, the Nets have so many players and assets that could entice KD into joining the Nets in the 2026 free agency, where the Nets are projected to have plenty of cap space depending on how they manage the 2025 free agency cap sheet.
While it is not likely to happen, crazier things have happened with the Nets. Durant has said many positives things about the players and has nothing but positive things to say about his experience. 2 years is a long time in the NBA, who knows what will happen?
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