Kevin Durant Appreciates Years With James Harden, Russell Westbrook

[RealGM Wiretap]

Kevin Durant was asked about his history with James Harden and Russell Westbrook, following the Phoenix Suns loss at the LA Clippers on Monday night. Durant admitted to being frustrated with how things ended with James Harden when they were teammates on the Brooklyn Nets. However, Durant holds no ill-will to his two-time former teammate.

“No doubt that I was pissed about the situation. I'm sure he was pissed about having to move teams again. When the smoke clears, you realize that's somebody you came into the league with, somebody I really, really love as a brother," Durant said about Harden. "I want what's best for him and his family going forward.”

As for playing with Harden and Westbrook, Durant appreciates his time with both on the Oklahoma City Thunder. He also made note of how remarkable it is that all three of them are still going in the NBA careers.

“We’re never gonna forget those moments we shared coming into the league," Durant said. "It was a special, special time that I always pull back from. I always loved playing with those guys so it’s good to see them have some success and still be in the league at 15, 16, 17 years in the league.”

Via Tomer Azarly/Clutch Points

[madmaxmedia]

[nedleeds]

nEwS

[puja21]

I'm sure he was pissed about having to move teams again

Sounds like he's implying they should both be upset with Kyrie

[rzzzzz]

I can’t prove it, but I know the 3 of them would have won titles if the team stayed in Seattle.

[Kizz Fastfists]

I can’t prove it, but I know the 3 of them would have won titles if the team stayed in Seattle.

If the team had stayed in Seattle then Sam Presti would never have been the GM and that trio would never have been put together. Presti only became GM and subsequently drafted them, and Ibaka, because the OKC ownership group bought a franchise that was losing money and knew the NBA would allow them to leave because of that. I suppose Seattle city leadership could have sprouted a brain and reworked the lease so the team could stop losing money in Seattle, but that would have opposed everything those politicians stand for. The real problem was the previous ownership that demanded the KeyArena remodel be too small for a NHL team, by the standards at the time, thus limiting the operating ability of the Sonics. They they immediately sold to Starbucks, using the new arena as a selling point, who later realized how terrible the lease was and the building was not capable of profits as the lease continued to increase yearly. He then sold the team to get rid of the money sink and when no local ownership group presented itself he sold to the OKC ownership who saw the financial loss as an asset due to the revenue sharing of the NBA and their desire for all teams to be profitable so they all maximize their money, which is also what the players want because if teams are losing money they make less money due to revenue sharing as well.

If a Seattle based ownership group had stepped up then who knows what happens in Seattle. The GM they hired might not have traded Ray Allen and with Allen and KD they are not bad enough to draft Russ and Harden. It's a fun rabbit hole to go down and I'm not trying to knock you, but given the complexity of the whole sale and move one could make all sorts of fun speculation. For example, the GM that isn't Presti trades Ray Allen for the same package, but is smart enough to draft Noah instead of Green and OKC then never trades for Perkins, but has a legitimate center that fits the team and beats the Heat. If I recall correctly Noah was making less at the time than Perkins so they never have to trade Harden in that scenario. Imagine that team though. Russ, Harden, KD, Ibaka and Noah as the starting 5.

[rzzzzz]

If the team had stayed in Seattle then Sam Presti would never have been the GM.

Sem Presti was hired by the SuperSonics in June 2007, and drafted Durant for Seattle. They were still the Sonics when he drafted Westbrook in June of 2008. Are you saying that Presti would have refused the job or drafted differently if Clay didn’t move the team afterwards?

[Kizz Fastfists]

If the team had stayed in Seattle then Sam Presti would never have been the GM.

Sem Presti was hired by the SuperSonics in June 2007, and drafted Durant for Seattle. They were still the Sonics when he drafted Westbrook in June of 2008. Are you saying that Presti would have refused the job or drafted differently if Clay didn’t move the team afterwards?

The ownership that moved the team to OKC bought the Sonics in 2006 and hired Presti in June 2007. I'm saying that if the OKC ownership group does not buy the sonics in 2006 then you have no way to know that the previous GM gets fired and absolutely no guarantee another ownership group would hire Presti. A big part of the appeal of the job for Presti was that he would have complete control over the roster. The only thing ownership gave him was a budget. Hence the Harden trade being a cap issue because he wasn't allowed to go into the tax at that point. I know first hand he had that level of autonomy as the owners found out who the draft picks were and FA signings were at the same time fans found out. I was actually surprised when I discovered this. Yes, at one time I had access to a member of the ownership group of OKC. My father worked for him and the conversation was had at a game where my father was given courtside tickets as a retirement gift.