Brooklyn Nets had one of the most exciting Big 3 in the NBA in 2019 and were even poised to win the title if only they were not thwarted by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 Eastern semifinals. This team was led by multiple-time All-Stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.
This Nets team, which went on for around three seasons, is regarded as one of the biggest “What if” questions in NBA history because of the potential of the squad and the chemistry between their star players.
However, things did not pan out the way everyone expected. They went past the first round just once in the three years they had the Big 3. Where did things go wrong? KD has an idea. It was the coach.
KD sat down with his former coach Steve Nash and Lebron James in the ‘Mind the Game’ podcast and set the record straight about his regret on short time together with the Canadian NBA legend.
“I have just signed that deal. You had just signed a deal. I feel like we were secure, but everything else around us was going to [expletive],” Durant said.
“We got players forcing trades… And I feel like your hands were tied a lot, because as a coach, you had to deal with so much. I think we didn’t get the full Steve Nash like I wanted.”
Nets was the only coaching gig Nash has had so far. He coached the Nets from 2020 to 2023 although he was fired mid-season in the last year.
Kyrie Irving reacts to Kevin Durant who also fired back
There’s a lot to unpack from Durant’s statement but one thing that stood out was the part about players forcing themselves out.
The first one to leave the team was Harden (Feb. 10, 2022). Irving followed on February 6, 2023 but he did request a trade at the start of the 2022 season. KD was then traded to the Phoenix Suns on February 10 of the same year.
It is hard to tell who KD was referring to in his statement but Irving has an interesting reaction.
lol I am gonna address this on my stream soon https://t.co/xAxBcCTln7
— Kyrie🤞🏾 (@KyrieIrving) July 16, 2025
KD quoted Kyrie not too long after it was posted.
Lemme set this noti. https://t.co/AuH2kgSBDT
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 16, 2025
Several fans were quick to judge that the two are beefing. Maybe they are just click farming?
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