Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets in July, and yet the veteran has not spoken about his feelings regarding the trade and his new team until now. At this stage of his career, Durant has achieved everything from NBA titles to Finals MVP to multiple All-Star selections to multiple Olympic gold medals.
In the twilight stage of his career, Durant is still seen as the man who can convert any franchise into an NBA championship contender. This will be his job when he suits up for the Rockets, who have a strong young core, unlike his recent teams, like the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns.
The 36-year-old is ready to take a role out of the spotlight and is ready to be "just one of the guys" on the team. During his sit-down interview at CNBC and Boardroom’s annual “Game Plan” summit, Durant talked about sharing the court with young players such as Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard.
"I’m just one of the guys," the two-time NBA champion said. "I don’t think too much about being a GOAT (greatest of all-time), or being a veteran in the league, or who’s watching me when I work out. I just don’t really care too much about that. I just try to come in and be one of the guys.
I don’t have a separate workout guy. I come in and I work out with the team. I just try to blend in with the team, as much as possible. I’m not trying to separate myself. My work ethic, my team-first mentality, being coachable, that stuff is going to stand out, regardless. So, I just try to be consistent with that, every day."
Kevin Durant on integrating himself as a new teammate at this stage of his career, and how he just wants to be one of the guys #GamePlan25 pic.twitter.com/vrsKXiIElL
— Law Murray ❓ (@LawMurrayTheNU) September 17, 2025
Kevin Durant expects to see a shift in how Rockets star sees him
Kevin Durant, who entered the NBA in 2007, has grown to be an elite basketball player. Several players on this Rockets team were just teenagers when Durant made multiple trips to the NBA Finals with the OKC Thunder and the Golden State Warriors.
As such, Durant knows that when this young group sees him coming, they will likely see someone whom "you watched growing up." But he expects that to change after 10 days.
“But after Day 10, when you see me come in there being a normal player and a normal teammate, I think you get over it pretty quickly,” Durant said in the same interaction.
It's clear Durant no longer wants to sway all the attention to himself. He's getting to the court to play the game he loves with the objective to win his third NBA title.