There are very few people in the world who would understand the thoughts and the considerations an athletes think before actually making a decision. Every decision could result in a loss or gain of millions of dollars and their reputation on the line. In 2016, being a superstar in a major sports league can be tough, and Kevin Durant was at the center of all the attention this summer. With his decision to sign to the Golden State Warriors, Durant left the NBA world in shock as most assumed he would return to the team he was drafted by and played 9 years for, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Many NBA executives, coaches, and even players speculated that Durant was surely going to re-sign, even his all-star teammate Russell Westbrook was under that impression.
Durant’s free agency palooza was finally narrowed down to 3 teams, the Thunder, the Warriors and the Boston Celtics. While Durant made his decision to sign with the NBA Finalist Warriors, according to reports, he had told the Celtics he was ready to sign after their meeting. Now, there are reports that Durant had been giving mix signals to all 3 teams, leading to Westbrook being under the impression that Durant would re-sign with the Thunder. According to Royce Young of ESPN:
Three weeks ago, Kevin Durant’s sitting there at dinner, telling him “Hey, I’m coming back, man. Don’t worry about it.” And now, Russell Westbrook has been kind of thrown into this in having to decide his future a summer earlier than expected.
Kevin Durant, more so than even that, was telling people, “Hey, yeah, I mean I’m coming back.” Like I said in there, a week before Kevin Durant sat down in the Hamptons, he was in Oklahoma City ready to make an offer on a multi-million-dollar house. So, the guy was pretty serious about coming back, and then things turned rather quickly for him to leave. And there’s no doubt that the organization felt a little bit burned by this.
It’s obvious that Durant was torn throughout free agency, not knowing which team was the best fit for him. One thing was clear, Durant knew he wanted something to change. There were reports that things between Durant and Westbrook weren’t good and this would seem to verify the situation. Now, with Durant ready to assume the villain position in the NBA, could him and Westbrook become a new rivalry? I know Westbrook won’t stop it from happening. There goes any hopes of a reunion in Los Angeles.
