Kevin Durant walked onto the court inside the Footprint Center to chants of “KD” and cheers from Suns fans on Thursday as Phoenix introduced its newest forward to the public.
Durant, who was traded from the Nets to the Suns as part of a blockbuster deal earlier this month, could feel the Suns excitement of his arrival from the moment he exited the plane after landing in the Valley. However, even with a resounding welcome from Suns fans, the 13-time All-Star made it clear that he is taking on the challenge of bringing a NBA title to Phoenix, meaning that he has “more work to do” on the hardwood.
“I know how significant a championship is to a franchise and to a city,” Durant said during the introductory news conference. “I’ve been a part of two of those, and I’m looking forward to trying to get back on that road to try and do it again but I know how hard it is.”
Durant joins a Suns team that will now have a Big Four that includes himself, Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. The move comes after he spent nearly four years with the Nets, playing a very limited number of games with Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Now, both his former superstar teammates have found new homes after Irving was recently traded to the Mavericks.
Durant summed up his experience in Brooklyn as one filled with “ups and downs” and only getting 17 games to play with both Harden and Irving on the court as the reasons why franchise failed to win a NBA title. “It was amazing basketball for 17 games but… it just didn’t work out.”
However, Durant, who has been injured and away from the hardwood since Jan. 12 with a right knee MCL sprain, said he is embracing the “pressure” of building the chemistry with three others stars and the remainder of his teammates to bring the franchise its first championship.
“It’s pressure because I’m one of the best players to ever play the game, so every time I step on the floor people going to expect me to do great things and the team I’m on to do great things,” Durant said.
While the two-time champion shared that he did not know when he would suit up for his first Suns’ game, he hopes that it will be after the upcoming All-Star break this weekend. However, if Durant returns as expected, his first game with the Suns would be on Feb. 24 in a home matchup against Oklahoma City, according to The Arizona Republic.
When Durant does return to game action, the 34-year-old said he would be thrilled to share the court with Devin Booker and the arrangement of his new teammates.
“He has a pure game, he can score from every area of the floor,” Durant said. “He’s athletic but he doesn’t always show it. …We got guys who are experienced, we got a champion overseeing us… we got guys who can pretty much do everything on the floor. I’m looking forward to do the work.”
Durant is averaging 29.7 points per game over 39 contests this season. In a season filled with injuries, the Suns (32–27) are currently No. 4 in the Western Conference and nine games behind No. 1 Denver with 22 games remaining in the regular season.
