Kevin Durant believes the Brooklyn Nets had the most accomplished roster, on paper, of any team he played for, even though he still considers the Golden State Warriors the best team of his career.
Speaking on Boardroom, Durant was asked which team had the strongest roster based strictly on the names and accomplishments of its players. His answer was Brooklyn.
“I would say Brooklyn,” Durant said. “Kyrie, James. Blake Griffin. Blake was on the team. LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul Millsap, Patty Mills. We had the names on that team when you’re just looking at straight paper.”
Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden formed the core of Brooklyn’s championship ambitions, while the Nets also added several former All-Stars and established veterans. Griffin, Aldridge and Millsap had each already built lengthy NBA résumés before arriving in Brooklyn, while Mills provided another experienced backcourt option.
Durant contrasted that roster with the Warriors teams he joined in 2016. Golden State had Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, but Durant noted that Brooklyn’s supporting cast included players who had accumulated more individual accolades by that stage of their careers.
“When you just look at, when you’re just putting accolades on the table, I would say that team,” Durant said.
However, Durant separated the best roster on paper from the best team he actually played on. He named the Warriors as the strongest team of his career and pointed specifically to the 2018-19 group, which added DeMarcus Cousins to a roster that already featured Durant, Curry, Thompson and Green.
“Obviously the best team I played on was the Warriors,” Durant said. “I want to say the 2019 team was crazy, but we got hurt with Cousins at the five. That’s probably the best team that I’ve been a part of.”
Durant averaged 26.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists in 78 regular-season games for Golden State in 2018-19. He shot 52.1% from the field and helped the Warriors reach their fifth consecutive NBA Finals, although injuries to Durant and Thompson contributed to Toronto winning the championship.
The Nets never reached the Finals during Durant’s tenure, but their 2020-21 season showed how formidable the group could be when healthy. Durant averaged 26.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists while shooting 53.7% from the field and 45.0% from three-point range in 35 games.
Brooklyn reached the Eastern Conference semifinals and pushed the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks to seven games. Durant played all 53 minutes in Game 7 and finished with 48 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, but Milwaukee won 115-111 in overtime.
Durant said injuries, rather than on-court underperformance, remain the biggest source of regret from Brooklyn’s championship window.
“When you realize injuries is the reason, it wasn’t because we played bad or we underachieved on the court,” Durant said. “And I think that’s what makes it, takes the sting out of it just a little bit.”
Across three seasons with the Nets, Durant averaged 29.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 129 games while shooting 53.7% from the field.
