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Why Did Kevin Durant Leave?

June 1, 2022

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On July 5th, the NBA free agency period was officially opened. In that moment Kevin Durant became a member of the Golden State Warriors after his shocking decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder. His departure left fans and analysts questioning why he would choose to play for a team who had not yet won an NBA title three years into their existence? This introduction will explore this question as well as some others about what drove him away from OKC in one fell swoop.?

Kevin Durant is a professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors. He decided to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder, and join the Warriors in July 2016. Read more in detail here: kevin durant trade to warriors.

On May 4, 2019, Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors plays in an NBA playoff game. | Tim Warner/Getty Images

Kevin Durant has had a fantastic season against the Golden State Warriors. In three seasons, he helped them reach the NBA Finals three times and win two titles.

So, why did he decide to depart and join the Brooklyn Nets?

Here’s what led to Durant leaving the Warriors’ dynasty and joining the Nets alongside Kyrie Irving.

Kevin Durant left the Golden State Warriors for a reason.

Kevin Durant departed the Warriors after playing with them from 2016-17 to 2018-19 for a variety of reasons. His departure is about more than simply a change of scenery for him.

Durant said this in 2019 (h/t ESPN): “I felt like it was time for a change. I wanted to play for a new team and simply put, I just did it. I didn’t really think about what I was leaving behind or what we accomplished. I put that up on a shelf already. When it was time to make a decision on my future, I just thought solely about me.”

In 2019, KD told the Wall Street Journal that, although he felt welcomed in Golden State, he wasn’t drafted there like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, or Draymond Green.

“I came to understand I’m simply different from the rest of the men as time went on,” he said. “It’s not a terrible thing,” says the narrator. It’s just a matter of my circumstances and how I got into the league. Furthermore, the media always saw everything through the lens of KD and the Warriors. So it’s as though no one could accept me completely there.”

However, Durant’s most noticeable reason for leaving was his feud with Draymond Green. During the 2018-19 season, the two had a heated altercation, and KD has since said that the team’s handling of the incident influenced his decision to depart.

On an episode of Chips, Durant remarked to Green, “It wasn’t the disagreement, it was the manner that everyone pretended like it didn’t happen; (general manager) Bob Myers attempted to simply penalize you (Draymond) and believe that it would put the mask over everything.” “It seemed like such a significant occasion for us as a group….” We attempted to dance our way around it. It was simply the mood between all of it that made me feel strange. ‘Family first; communication is vital,’ I’d prefer we be who we say we are. We didn’t show it, and it was the thing that irritated me the most.”

To sum it up, Durant looks to have departed the Warriors for three reasons.

He yearned for a change.
He had the impression of being an outsider.
His and Green’s quarrel was handled incorrectly by the team.

Whatever the cause for his departure, it was almost certainly unavoidable.

Will Kevin Durant look back on his decision to leave the Warriors?

Durant’s contract with the Nets was three seasons ago, and it seems like he may come to regret his decision to leave the Warriors.

Durant led the Nets to the conference semifinals in 2020-21 after missing the previous season due to an Achilles injury, but was unable to go further due to injuries to Kyrie Irving and James Harden. The Boston Celtics swept Brooklyn in the first round in 2021-22.

Who are the Warriors? They’ve made it to the Finals for the sixth time in eight years, and a victory against the Celtics in the 2022 edition of the series would give them their fourth championship in this era.

Durant’s skill will ensure that his teams are constantly in contention for titles. However, without his old Warriors colleagues, his route to championships is much more tougher than it was with them.

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Kevin Durant is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Golden State Warriors. In his career, he has won two NBA championships and was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2017. He also led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. On July 4th, 2018, Kevin Durant announced that he would leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors for a four-year contract worth $164 million. Reference: what team does kevin durant play for 2022.