Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors last summer changed the NBA landscape for potentially the next three years. Should Durant and Curry both re-sign in Golden State as expected, the Warriors could have their four best players under contract through 2019, and will be the favorites to win the title in each of those seasons (including this one in which they are up 3-1 on the Cavaliers).
Durant’s choice to leave the Thunder and go to the Warriors — after the Warriors came back from 3-1 down to beat OKC in the Western Conference Finals — puzzled many, but it appears as though Durant will be rewarded with at least one title, making his decision, ultimately, successful. The push for Durant from the Warriors reportedly started immediately after Game 7, as Draymond Green called Durant from the parking lot that night.
That anecdote came from a Zach Lowe story that quotes Draymond Green directly in saying “that was my next call” after noting that Green called GM Bob Myers right after the game. That’s a pretty good source on the matter, but Durant — despite that seemingly coming directly from Green — told reporters on Sunday afternoon that it’s 100 percent false.
Kevin Durant says @ZachLowe_NBA story about Draymond Green calling him after game 7 is "100 percent false". KD didn't want to talk much. pic.twitter.com/iJlH7QwA6i
— Def Pen Hoops (@DefPenHoops) June 11, 2017
Durant emphatically says the report (which, again, seems to be coming direct from Green) is “100 percent false” and repeats himself, and then refuses to elaborate on the follow-up question from Howard Beck, saying that he’s been talking about joining the Warriors all year and is tired of it.
“Why does it matter right now?,” Durant asked. “I’ve been talking about this all season. Like, I’m tired of it. I’m not mad or anything, but I’m just saying at this point, it’s the Finals and I’m trying to stay where we are. Trying to stay locked in. It’s been the whole year now, so, it’s over.”
It’s understandable if Durant is tired of answering questions about why he joined the Warriors, but this was a juicy and interesting anecdote that just now emerged about how his courtship by Golden State began. It’s understandable that on media day, a day before Game 5 of the NBA Finals, he would be asked about it. What’s most confusing is why someone in this situation is lying about what happened.
Either Draymond Green’s story was wrong or Durant is lying about the call not happening. Either way, it doesn’t make sense that two teammates would contradict each other about this story. There’s not a lot to gain for either by lying. Green, calling from the parking lot, isn’t something of a heroic move or anything, and it’s not as if Durant begged Green to call him right after so if he took said call it’s not really embarrassing for him (if anything, it’s a bit embarrassing for Green).
It’s extremely hard to figure out what’s happening here. Durant could have easily said that he just didn’t want to talk about it rather than blasting the report as “100 percent false” and the having to shuffle around follow-up questions. Instead, we have more weird drama coming out of this series as it heads to a pivotal Game 5.
