Kevin Durant went down with a torn Achilles in the 2019 Finals when Golden State lost to the Toronto Raptors. He made his intent clear to leave GSW for the Nets, and a sign-and-trade was engineered though Durant had to sit out the entirety of the 2019-20 campaign during injury.
Making his return to the court in December of 2020, Durant was joined by James Harden three weeks later and along with Kyrie Irving, this was the next “big three” that would win it all! That didn’t happen, and Harden barely lasted a year, but the Nets problems can not be traced to Durant’s performance (when healthy). Durant was a Second Team All-NBA Selection lin 2021-22, but the cracks around the bg three formed. After Harden left, Kyrie had his issues with off-court comments and his refusal to get vaccinated. Durant and Irving were both unhappy, but despite their frustrations, they were still elite players, especially Durant. Irving and Durant both wanted out of Brooklyn, and they got it, with KD traded to Phoenix.
As tumultuous as his run in BRK was, Durant was still a top-tier player, averaging 29.0 Points per Game, which was higher than he did anywhere else. This is why he is still ranked so high despite the expecations in a Championship not being met.
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