Kevin Durant Doesn't Want To Go Through Free Agency Process Again

[RealGM Wiretap]

Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors was a difficult one.

Durant met with the Thunder, Warriors, Celtics, Heat, Spurs and Clippers over the Fourth of July weekend in the Hamptons.

“We sat down and went through the pros and cons of every team, every situation," said Durant. "We looked at it all, and they were there to support me, to be there for me, and I trusted them. I think the third, the night before, Fourth of July… we were talking and I was just torn, and I told them I wanted to sleep on it. I woke up about 7 o’clock in the morning and I walked in the room – everyone was asleep – and I woke them up and I just said ‘I want to go to the Warriors,’ … and we all gave each other hugs and we moved on from there. We knew a lot of attention was gonna come. We just stuck to what I wanted to do, and we moved on. That call to Oklahoma City was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. Tears were shed, but like I said this is a new journey for me, testing the unknown. I trusted my gut, I trusted my instincts. It’s an unpopular decision, but I can live with it.”

Durant was asked about the possibility of becoming a free agent again in 2017.

"I plan on being here," said Durant. "I don't want to go through that again."

Via RealGM Staff Report

[hyberx]

How dare you ditch your hometown team to team up with 2 other franchise players, then ditch them when they are old and less effective, just to team up with 2 new younger ones, in a weak conference to win championships?

Oh wait. That is supposed to get high praises. Never mind.

[BeGreezy]

How dare you ditch your hometown team to team up with 2 other franchise players, then ditch them when they are old and less effective, just to team up with 2 new younger ones, in a weak conference to win championships?

Oh wait. That is supposed to get high praises. Never mind.

Hometown team? Wtf are you talking about?

[Wildcat]

How dare you ditch your hometown team to team up with 2 other franchise players, then ditch them when they are old and less effective, just to team up with 2 new younger ones, in a weak conference to win championships?

Oh wait. That is supposed to get high praises. Never mind.

Hometown team? Wtf are you talking about?

Washington I presume.

[bboyskinnylegs]

How dare you ditch your hometown team to team up with 2 other franchise players, then ditch them when they are old and less effective, just to team up with 2 new younger ones, in a weak conference to win championships?

Oh wait. That is supposed to get high praises. Never mind.

Hometown team? Wtf are you talking about?

Washington I presume.

I think it's actually a reference to LeBron

[Knick4Real]

This is what you call "Image Control."

Some PR person obviously realized the negative hit KD's image took by joining the team that just beat him. So they came up with this makeshift explanation to "humanize" his decision and hopefully make it more acceptable to the public.

I'm not buying what they're selling though!

[haste10176]

How dare you ditch your hometown team to team up with 2 other franchise players, then ditch them when they are old and less effective, just to team up with 2 new younger ones, in a weak conference to win championships?

Oh wait. That is supposed to get high praises. Never mind.

Angry at Lebron aye...

[Quazza]

Good

[inquisitive]

the question will be...will he take less than max next yr? the cap is not going to be higher than expected and steph will get a huge raise and there will be an issue of having money to field a good bench.....no doubt he is not leaving warriors though.

[inquisitive]

How dare you ditch your hometown team to team up with 2 other franchise players, then ditch them when they are old and less effective, just to team up with 2 new younger ones, in a weak conference to win championships?

Oh wait. That is supposed to get high praises. Never mind.

someone thinks a bit too highly of bosh...lol

[hyberx]

How dare you ditch your hometown team to team up with 2 other franchise players, then ditch them when they are old and less effective, just to team up with 2 new younger ones, in a weak conference to win championships?

Oh wait. That is supposed to get high praises. Never mind.

someone thinks a bit too highly of bosh...lol

Yeah, Bosh was a 22/10 scrub as the focal point of Toronto. Who wanted him?

[haste10176]

How dare you ditch your hometown team to team up with 2 other franchise players, then ditch them when they are old and less effective, just to team up with 2 new younger ones, in a weak conference to win championships?

Oh wait. That is supposed to get high praises. Never mind.

someone thinks a bit too highly of bosh...lol

Yeah, Bosh was a 22/10 scrub as the focal point of Toronto. Who wanted him?

Bosh was good but Draymond green is far better in this team dynamic that even Bosh... To compare Lebron going from his team number 1 seed to the number 5 seed with Bosh and having no real depth players to Durant going from number 3 to the number 1 seed it is not even close... Seriously this is the most OP team ever... This team can only lose with a major injury... They picked up a decent cheap centre to replace bogut they have livingston and Igoudala still they got west for cheap... KD says still got to play 82 games come on those 82 games are not relevant you will be number 1 seed and then the only finals competition will be the spurs who lost David West and probably Duncan... Then you move on to face the same cavs team with durant and a healthy centre, west as a back up for Green and how you ganna lose if Bogut had been helpful or if green had not been suspended or if Barnes had hit a couple of open shoots then they would have won this year... Cavs need to trade Love for Anthony Davis to even things out haha...

[hyberx]

Ah, I love how those people who said Green was too small and overrated, how Klay is one dimension, how even Curry is not a MVP, now all of sudden making them out like mega rock stars just teaming up with another. They said a super star makes everyone better, KD doesn't even need to step on the floor to make Green and Klay into franchise players. These people can never accept the fact that it's the Ws culture and system that makes every piece fit perfectly and lure KD to it, but they are just lucky to have good players. A team that had 30+ assists 42 times in a season, where the 2nd place goes to Hwaks with only 15, is all about super stars.

Yes, 3 super stars should only happen in the weak East, never the West where you have Clippers and Spurs. Ditching old partners and hometown team for younger super stars for a cake walk in the East are just fine. Totally makes sense.

[hyberx]

Cavs need to trade Love for Anthony Davis to even things out haha...

Sorry that Warriors and KD did not consider Love, the franchise player from MN, is not living up to GM LeBron's expectation. Should have considered that before the signing.

[NoStatsGuy]

new journey? Testing the "unknown"? yea of course kevin..

[wacomguy]

And this is what exactly happened that night he went to sleep. He dreamt of LeBron chased down blocked him and the Warriors running all over him. That's when he knew he got to go.

Kevin Durant. Bad Dream. Gatorade Commercial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNjQishYOy0

EDIT: Just realized, same goes for D-Wade! LOL!

[Tdot24]

Apparently nowadays it's completely okay to hand pick your teammates by orchestrating trades as the player/GM. After orchestrating a similar scenario years before to beat the better teams. But ENTIRELY unacceptable to join a winning team that was built through the draft where the players have grown to be the players they are today.

Is it fair to say that people are now just getting so sick of Lebron that they've turned the hate to KD?

A couple of years ago, when the injury bug hit, people said KD is done for and is not the same player anymore. Now he's all of a sudden back to this superstar studded player, who is taking the easy way out.

Lebron opened this can of worms. I'm not blaming Lebron, but this is the kind of playing field that he has created for the league. I can't say I blame KD, but I can't say that the NBA is going to be as entertaining as it once was. Which is why I've said goodbye to my NBATV subscription. The game grows and every decade we see some form of a super team. The league doesn't care, they're only after the revenue. Both fans and non-believers are still going to pay attention to watch Goliath get taken down.

People talk about the Lakers and the Boston big 3, but nothing compares to what the recent form of super teams have done. Kobe didn't want Shaq, he wanted another player who would differ. The Boston big 3 would not have worked if they didn't have Rondo.

[haste10176]

Apparently nowadays it's completely okay to hand pick your teammates by orchestrating trades as the player/GM. After orchestrating a similar scenario years before to beat the better teams. But ENTIRELY unacceptable to join a winning team that was built through the draft where the players have grown to be the players they are today.

Is it fair to say that people are now just getting so sick of Lebron that they've turned the hate to KD?

A couple of years ago, when the injury bug hit, people said KD is done for and is not the same player anymore. Now he's all of a sudden back to this superstar studded player, who is taking the easy way out.

Lebron opened this can of worms. I'm not blaming Lebron, but this is the kind of playing field that he has created for the league. I can't say I blame KD, but I can't say that the NBA is going to be as entertaining as it once was. Which is why I've said goodbye to my NBATV subscription. The game grows and every decade we see some form of a super team. The league doesn't care, they're only after the revenue. Both fans and non-believers are still going to pay attention to watch Goliath get taken down.

People talk about the Lakers and the Boston big 3, but nothing compares to what the recent form of super teams have done. Kobe didn't want Shaq, he wanted another player who would differ. The Boston big 3 would not have worked if they didn't have Rondo.

KD can do what he wants to get a ring but this super team is much bigger than LBJ. LBJ never joined with another season MVP he went from the team he made first to the 5th team and to a declining wade and and he was what made them a championship team they had no depth... Now compare the warriors two Mvp's 4 allstars one Finals MVP this is the best team ever assembled with depth to and Durant is not the reason they will be a championship team because they were already one.. Lebron is 10 times better player than durant fact..

[soem]

My respect for Durant has gone way up. He showed the courage of his convictions despite the pettiness he knew would be coming.
Let's see what happens next season before all this regurgitation of faux concern for the league etc. etc.

There have always been teams with extra advantages in basketball. It doesn't matter how they got there really. Rules determined what could be done then and now.
Russel's Celtics. Magic's Lakers. John Wooden's UCLA team, Geno Auriemma's Uconn team.
Seems to me these teams have been celebrated for the most part and have not killed their sport. They were part of its evolution .. a new level to reach.

Nothing stands still. When LeBron gathered 2 other Olympians to gain his advantage it was a novel advance in player power.
Even though he was already the most physically gifted player by far, he still pursued more advantages to get his rings.
Beyond leaving Clevland, there was little outcry about his ruining the game. At the time, most teams were lucky to have two stars (not 2 key Olympians) -- so his advantage level(with 3 Olympians) may have been well beyond what some people are griping about for Durant's new team.

Its always been an arms race to get the best players possible. Playing in the East was an advantage. LeBron abandoned his aging teammates for newer younger ones back in Cleveland. He blackmailed (pressured) the team owners to buy every possible player. All of these were -- advantage LeBron.
I'm quite sure the next chapter will come with some new moves to get additional advantages.

Its nothing new. I guess maybe its just surprising that is now happening to a team that has been so long in the NBA cellar.

[Alonzo_Morning]

My respect for Durant has gone way up. He showed the courage of his convictions despite the pettiness he knew would be coming.
Let's see what happens next season before all this regurgitation of faux concern for the league etc. etc.

There have always been teams with extra advantages in basketball. It doesn't matter how they got there really. Rules determined what could be done then and now.
Russel's Celtics. Magic's Lakers. John Wooden's UCLA team, Geno Auriemma's Uconn team.
Seems to me these teams have been celebrated for the most part and have not killed their sport. They were part of its evolution .. a new level to reach.

Nothing stands still. When LeBron gathered 2 other Olympians to gain his advantage it was a novel advance in player power.
Even though he was already the most physically gifted player by far, he still pursued more advantages to get his rings.
Beyond leaving Clevland, there was little outcry about his ruining the game. At the time, most teams were lucky to have two stars (not 2 key Olympians) -- so his advantage level(with 3 Olympians) may have been well beyond what some people are griping about for Durant's new team.

Its always been an arms race to get the best players possible. Playing in the East was an advantage. LeBron abandoned his aging teammates for newer younger ones back in Cleveland. He blackmailed (pressured) the team owners to buy every possible player. All of these were -- advantage LeBron.
I'm quite sure the next chapter will come with some new moves to get additional advantages.

Its nothing new. I guess maybe its just surprising that is now happening to a team that has been so long in the NBA cellar.

I'm not sure "courage of his convictions" really applies here considering what a cushy situation he's falling into.