Why did Kevin Durant decide to leave the Thunder on Monday in order to join the Warriors? If you believe everything that he wrote in the letter he published on The Players’ Tribune to announce his decision, he did it because he feels as though it "offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth." In his letter, KD also explained that he was interested in "moving out of my comfort zone" this summer and looking for "evolution." And he decided he could get all of those things by teaming up with the guys on Golden State.
But if you read a piece that Bleacher Report reporter Howard Beck put together on Tuesday, you will find much different reasons for Durant’s departure from OKC. The biggest reason? KD’s inability to reach the highest heights the NBA has to offer—specifically, an NBA title—while playing alongside Russell Westbrook. Westbrook, who may or may not be on the trading block right now depending on who you ask, transformed himself into a superstar in his own right while playing alongside KD. But according to "a person with insight into Durant’s thought process" who spoke with Beck, KD was frustrated by his professional relationship with Westbrook, especially with regards to how it impacted him on the offensive side of the ball.
"Ultimately, he got frustrated and felt that they had plateaued," the source told Beck. "[Head coach Billy Donovan] came in, and [Durant] still had the same issues that he had with Russ under [former head coach] Scotty [Brooks]. The offense didn’t change much. He still had to take a ton of contested shots every game; and that’s when he had the ball at all."
The same source also revealed that KD is looking forward to playing with the Warriors, because he feels as though he’ll get more touches during games in their offense.
"He’s never going to have a game in Golden State where Steve Kerr has to say at halftime, 'You guys need to get Kevin the ball,' which happened in OKC," the source revealed.
Of course, KD didn’t say any of this, so you should take it with a grain of salt. There’s a chance he wasn’t unhappy, at all, with the way Westbrook played during their time as teammates. But these kinds of reports helped define Durant and Westbrook’s tenure in OKC, as it always felt like people were trying to drive a wedge between them. So it’s not all that surprising to see a report like it come out now as KD prepares to leave the Thunder. You can read Beck’s entire piece on KD’s exodus from OKC here.
