James Harden and Kevin Durant went on a trip to Greece together this past summer as their friendship blossomed again following the trade that brought back together nearly 10 years after they were split up by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Sources tell Logan Murdock of The Ringer that Harden reassured Durant twice that he'd sign an extension to remain with the Nets long-term.

Durant signed his extension in August, but Harden declared before the season started that he planned to wait for free agency.

After Durant suffered a knee injury in January, communication with Harden broke down. Harden began searching for a new team while the losses mounted as he played without Durant and without Kyrie Irving for home games.

“It wasn’t like it was a disconnect between us as individuals. I felt like we liked each other,” Durant told The Ringer. “But I was focusing on rehab and he was focusing on the team. Naturally, I wasn’t around the group, but I can’t control how everybody feels about their situation. I can do my best and provide what I provide every day. If it helps someone, cool, if it doesn’t, that’s cool too, but I can’t stress myself out wondering how somebody else feels about the situation.”

In an interview with Logan Murdock of The Ringer, Kevin Durant reflected on how the Golden State Warriors were presented as "KD and the Warriors."

“I was expecting—and maybe that’s my fault—I was expecting the beat writers, whoever was on the beat there, whoever covered the team, to integrate me into the Warriors’ way of doing things,” he says. “Because I never tried to step outside of that and make that situation bigger and make it all about me. I just felt like I wanted to be a part of the group. There were plenty of times where obviously when it comes to media, I was separated from the group.”

Durant signed a series of short-term contract with the Warriors and by the third season, it began to appear as though he was planning on leaving. Durant moved from the East Bay to San Francisco before the final season and he was more isolated.

“For people to look at me and say I was malcontent or isolated or didn’t look happy, I’m like, ‘Yo, do you all see Klay every day? Did you all see how he walked in there?’ But that was just him and nobody ever bat an eye at him,” Durant told The Ringer. “I loved it and I picked up on some of those things and how they approach the team-building and team bond. I’m like, ‘Oh, this is more my style.’ I was just adopting what the team was already doing.

“We all had our separate lives. We all had families,” he adds. “The Bay is huge. Draymond [Green] lived an hour and a half away from me, so does Steph, so does Shaun [Livingston]. When are we getting together? We’re around each other every day on the road. I think it’s healthy when you have that level of separation, when you get at home and like, ‘All right, you all go do your thing and I’m going to do mine.’”

Durant feels the coverage of him was unfair.

“I just think I deserved a little bit more respect than that. I came out here and gave back money, sacrificed my name, and went out here and sacrificed my body every night to be the best that I can be. I just asked for a little bit more respect to wait until after the season than to badger me every day, all year with questions like that,” Durant says, referring to his free agency. “I thought it was unfair to me and the whole group to even think about anything that was going to happen after the year. It was unprofessional, in my opinion.”

Kevin Durant's move to the Brooklyn Nets has given him a new perspective.

“Before, I used to worry about expectations, but now, I’m solidified and confident in what I bring,” Durant told Logan Murdock of The Ringer. “I just try to focus on me the most as I can, the best I can.”

Durant is 33 and in his 15th NBA season, which has perhaps made him grow wiser and not necessarily solely driven by chasing titles and earning individual achievements. 

“Us winning a title, that would be amazing. That would be incredible. But that’s not the only reason why I play basketball,” Durant said. “I want to develop every day and I truly like this activity, you know what I’m saying? I like getting up knowing that I’m going to go play, and that’s really it for me. The championship and scoring 30 and the level that I expect to be at, that’s because I work to get there, but I just simply like the activity.”

Kyrie Irving is excited that New York City has lifted their vaccine requirements for home performers. Not only does that enable Irving to play home games this, but it paves the way for him to feel good about re-signing with the Nets this offseason.

“I think for me, it has always been about being comfortable, loving where I’m at, and I love it here,” said Irving. “Once that summertime hits, I know we’ll have some conversations. But there’s no way I can leave my man Number 7 anywhere."

Number 7 refers to Nets forward Kevin Durant. Irving and Durant famously decided to team up in Brooklyn in the 2019 offseason. Durant missed the entirety of that season, while Irving appeared in only 20 games.

On being able to play in home games, Irving said “Please take my comment serious when I say I’ve been pinching myself since Wednesday and Thursday, because there was a time where I got my hopes really, really high and all the air was just let out.

“It’s just a level of disappointment, and I didn’t want to get too excited. And still I’m trying to focus on this game. But I know (Sunday's home game) will eventually come, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to be playing back in Brooklyn.”

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Ben Simmons has yet to debut with the Brooklyn Nets due to a back injury. Last week, Simmons had an epidural injection due to the ongoing back issues.

"I think they're going to be cautious with it, but there's an expectation around the Nets that Ben Simmons will play this year," said Shams Charania on the Pat McAfee show. "It's going to be about him ramping up and feeling healthy.

"The problem with him is seeming every time he's gotten on the floor, he's had a flare up in his back. The hope is that now he's had the epidural injection last week, he feels better and hopefully whether it's in a week or whatever, he gets back on the floor and tries to ramp up."

Simmons last played in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in June.

Kyrie Irving will be cleared for home games in New York City following a change in rules in the city impacting unvaccinated performers.

The rule had prohibited Irving and other unvaccinated athletes from playing in New York City, but it allowed unvaccinated athletes from other teams play.

Irving will become eligible to play in Sunday's game for the Brooklyn Nets against the Charlotte Hornets. 

New York City mayor Eric Adams said professional sports teams will have to wait longer before the city will rollback vaccine mandates.

"Right now, we're going to take some complaints," Adams said during a Tuesday morning press conference announcing that masks will be optional for daycare students between the ages of 2 and 4 starting on April 4th if the COVID-related numbers continue to hold. "But when this is all said and done, people are going to realize this is a thoughtful administration and we got it right. So baseball, basketball, businesses, all of those things, they have to wait until that layer comes."

There has been hope that Kyrie Irving, who is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and has made it clear that will not get vaccinated, would be cleared to play in home games in time for the playoffs.

"We're going to do it in the right way," Adams said. "We're going to follow the science ... we're going to make the right decision. And in New York, no matter what you do, this is 8.8 million people and 30 million opinions, so you're never going to satisfy New Yorkers, so you must go with the logic, your heart and the science."

Adams said the feedback he's gotten from local businesses is that they are appreciative that the mandate has remained in place.

"Believe it or not, a lot of our businesses, they love the mandates," Adams said. "When I speak to a lot of my businesses, getting people back in the office, that mandate is allowing them to feel safe in the office for those who feel that they would rather the vaccine mandate to be in place. But again, we're going to do it in layers, and when we feel it's the right time to look at that, if we do so at all, because the work environment is an important environment, we're going to make that determination. We're not there yet."

Joe Harris underwent successful left ankle ligament reconstruction surgery today. The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson at Bellin Hospital in Green Bay, Wisc.

Harris is expected to make a full recovery prior to next season’s training camp. 

Harris appeared in 14 games this season, averaging 11.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 30.2 minutes per contest.

Ben Simmons has yet to make his debut with the Brooklyn Nets. It doesn't sound like that debut is coming anytime soon either.

Speaking before Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Steve Nash said Simmons is around the team, but has been unable to take part in workouts or practices. Simmons had an MRI on his back in recent weeks, but there is no update on when he may play.

Nash said Simmons is unable to do anything as far as practicing goes. After taking part in initial workouts after joining the Nets, Simmons has been shut down due to back soreness. Nash said he didn't remember if Simmons showed any back issues during those initial workouts.