On February 13, Beijing time, Durant was interviewed by the US media ESPN, who said that it was not clear whether Irving's refusal to vaccinate would have an impact on promoting the Harden deal, but also said that many people regarded Irving as a "scapegoat". Durant also talked about the impact of Irving's non-vaccination on the team, saying that it is difficult to estimate the impact, but it needs to be professional, and believes that the team after the trade is still full of talent, and the goal is still the championship.
Durant has not been with the team in the past few weeks as he has been in recuperation mode since suffering an MCL injury on Jan. 16. In the second half of Friday's loss to the Wizards, it was Durant's first sitting on the bench and his first time watching since he was injured.
Durant said: "I'm not around the team but now I'm really seeing the atmosphere, I know the loss hurt us, I know my injury may have caused some damage to the team. Then there's Irving coming in and out of the squad frequently, but I don't really have a direct sense of what's going on with the team because I wasn't in the team with an injury before. ”
Due to New York City's vaccination regulations, Irving, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, is currently unable to play in the Nets home game. Asked if he felt Irving's part-time status had an impact on Harden's decision to push for a deal, Durant said: "I don't know. ”
"Obviously there will be rumors about that," Durant said. "Irving has been an easy scapegoat for everyone, especially for the media and fans, who like to use him as a scapegoat for a lot of issues, so it's easy to blame him, but I can't speculate on how Harden feels, I know a lot of the media will put the blame on him."
Asked how much Irving's decision not to vaccinate affected the Nets, Durant also objected, "It's hard to measure, I haven't really talked to everyone about it yet." As far as basketball on the court is concerned, we are all professionals and we know how no one feels in the lineup, so our work and our behavior as individuals, and the way we operate, no matter who is there, can't change that. We all have to approach our work in the same way, but I'm sure some people want it to be different.
"The mental state of each of us, when Owen is in or out ... There was no change in the atmosphere, mood or culture within the team, everything was sweet. Durant further said.
The Nets, who have fallen to 8th place in the East after 11 straight losses, remain confident that Simmons, Curry and Drummond will fit in the team's frame, but it's unclear when Simmons will play.
"Honestly, I've never looked at this year like this year, our squad has talent. A lot of teams have talent and winning a championship is obviously the goal, but we have to take the proper steps to get there. Now we have to get Simmons on board and bring our team back together. So before I think about championships, I just want to keep all of us on the pitch and that's the most important thing. ”
Due to injuries and Irving's decision not to vaccinate, the Nets have had only 16 games in the past two seasons that have had Durant, Harden and Irving at the same time.
"I only care about what happened," Durant said. "I mean, when we're on the court, I feel like the basketball we play, it's a good basketball mode, so I can accept what we do. The noise outside and all the other things that happen, and how people feel... But once we really connect them and play basketball together, I think it's a good team. ”