Kevin Durant wasn’t happy in Golden State. He proved his haters wrong, won a couple of rings, two Finals MVPs, and cemented himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the game but he just wasn’t happy. It’s as simple as that.
Durant often felt like the odd man out in the dynasty. He claimed that he never felt a part of them and that the media was trying to drive them apart. However, Draymond Green thinks the breaking point for him was after winning his first Championship, as LeBron James was still deemed the best player in the world despite the loss.
Next year, Durant just wasn’t fond of his teammates’ playing style. He didn’t want them to hog all shots. He wanted to be more involved and be the man, and that’s just not happening when you’re playing next to the two best shooters in the world:
“17-18 season Kevin just wasn’t as happy…he wasn’t as much ‘Steph do what you do, Klay do what you do,’ all of a sudden it was like ‘F*ck why’s Steph shooting this shot or f*ck he ain’t pass the ball, or f*ck why’s Klay shooting this shot.’ And I’m sitting there like, ‘Yo that’s the same Steph & Klay I’ve always played with. And I know those 2 guys, and they’re definitely not looking you off. They may not see you because they have tunnel vision sometimes like all great scorers do, but they’re not looking you off,” the power-forward told Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson in ‘All The Smoke’.
Durant’s attitude towards his teammates and the Warriors’ playing ways took a major turn entering that season. According to Green, he and other team veterans tried to ease things up for him by getting him involved, but he just wasn’t the same:
“All of a sudden, everything became an issue. Steph or Klay take a shot and it’s a problem now and it wasn’t like that a year before. Kevin once told me ‘They keep this bullsh*t up I’m outta here.’ So I’m always in between, telling Steph yo we need to get K a touch. Me & Andre would kind of be like that guy, saying Kevin hasn’t touched it in 10 plays lets call some sets for him, because Klay & Steph running rampant right now. And that’s what they do and that’s what makes them great. But at times me, Andre, Shaun, we have to help dial them back in, and that’s just part of playing with them. And it wasn’t a problem in 2017 but in 2018 it’s always an issue,” Green continued.
At the end of the day, Durant took his frustrations with coach Steve Kerr. He constantly called him out in public and demeanor his authority in front of the media. It seemed like there was just no pleasing him anymore.
“It was a challenge trying to figure out how was Kevin gonna react to certain sh*t. Steve Kerr would call a play for him and he’d be like ‘I don’t want you to f*cking call a play, I want you to f*ckin make them play the right way,’ and it’s like yo what are you talking about?? You said you need the ball and want the ball but then when I call the play for you, it ain’t that,” he concluded.
Eventually, Durant would end up leaving the team to take his talents to the Brooklyn Nets and team up with Kyrie Irving. Hopefully, they’ll find a way to coexist without fighting for touches.
