Kevin Durant: "I don't think about James Harden at all"

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant insisted he was not thinking about James Harden at all amid trade rumours around the Houston Rockets guard.

Harden, 31, has reportedly requested a trade from the Rockets, with the Nets and Philadelphia 76ers potential destinations for the 2018 NBA MVP.

A move to Brooklyn would see Harden reunite with Durant, the pair having played together for three seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder between 2009 and 2012.

But Durant, who is returning from a ruptured Achilles, said he had spent no time considering Harden's possible arrival.

"I don't think about James Harden at all. He doesn't play on our team," he told reporters on Wednesday.

After signing with the Nets last year, Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season as he recovered from the Achilles injury suffered during the 2019 NBA Finals.

The Nets made the playoffs but were swept by the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference first round.

With Kyrie Irving alongside him in Brooklyn, Durant believes the Nets can challenge in 2020-21.

Excited for the future

"I think it's early in the season, it's training camp and guys are still learning each other and still learning the offense and defense, but I'm very excited about the future of this group," he said.

"I've never been one to predict anything, but I like our chances, going out there and competing at that high level every single night and as tough as that is in this league I think we're capable of doing it.

"We've got a lot of guys who have experienced so much in this league, we've got champions on this team, we've got guys that have been in playoff runs, been in Game 7s, so that's always important to have that much experience and knowledge within the group and we'll see where we go from here."

The Nets will face the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics in preseason before beginning their campaign against the Golden State Warriors on December 22.