“You’re always shocked when a move like that happens,” Durant said after Tuesday night’s 108-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls. “But it’s normal in the NBA. It’s getting ready for tonight’s game. It’s always a quick turnaround in the league, especially during the season. You’ve got practice, games coming up, so you can’t think too much. It was on my mind for a while today ». Durant said he learned of the news about Nash around 1:15 p.m. ET after waking up from a pregame nap and watching ESPN. Nets general manager Sean Marks said before the game that players were not consulted before the decision, which is notable given that Durant reportedly asked for Nash and Marks to be fired over the summer before rescinding the request his trade before the season. 2 Related Durant developed a solid relationship with Nash during their time with the Golden State Warriors when Nash served as a player development consultant. He was asked why he thought it didn’t work out for Nash in Brooklyn. “A lot of things,” Durant said. “We didn’t have a healthy team. We just didn’t play well. And that happens in the league. S— happens. That doesn’t take away from Steve’s basketball IQ, how he teaches the game. Don’t think that takes away from anything. It just doesn’t it worked.” Durant said he has yet to speak with Nash since the move became official. With Zach Vaughn serving as interim coach, the Nets fell to 2-6 after Tuesday’s loss. Durant has said many times over the past year, and he said it again Tuesday night, that he believed Nash was not on good behavior given all the circumstances surrounding his two-and-a-half-year tenure. “Let’s be real, we’re professionals, we’re veterans. We’ve had a rough start,” Durant said when asked if he had been consulted on the decision beforehand. “It was a difficult year last year, a difficult summer. We knew everyone was being evaluated. “That’s just the way it is in the league. That’s how I loved working with Steve. I love working with the coaching staff. It’s been a rollercoaster the last few years, but the core of it — basketball — is something we all love. So regardless who is the coach [is], regardless of the circumstances, you must come to work. So I loved coming to work with Steve.” Durant was asked if he thought there was too much volatility surrounding the team to win over time. “This is the NBA,” Durant said. “Everybody has volatility if you want to look at it. The thing is — people on the outside might see what we’re doing as bigger than it is, but we come to work every day. Guys have asked for trades before, coaches get fired, we’ve disagreements in our locker room, it happens in the NBA. But at the end of the day we all came to work. It just didn’t work out on the court.”
