Since Durant agreed to terms with the Warriors, reports emerged of some fracturing in his relationship with Westbrook. Durant will wear his signature jersey number 35 with the Warriors.
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Durant, whose 27.4 points a game ranks as the third-best career average in National Basketball Association history, called telling the Thunder he was leaving “the toughest day of my life” and had trouble explaining himself to ex-teammate Russell Westbrook.
Durant, who announced his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, was introduced by the Warriors after his contract – a two-year, $54.3 million deal with a player option after the first year – was finalized Thursday.
Does he feel guilty about leaving the Thunder?
Though he plays in the Eastern Conference for a team that didn’t make the playoffs last season, Washington forward Markieff Morris didn’t mind sharing his thoughts on back-to-back Western Conference champion Golden State adding superstar Kevin Durant in free agency this summer. And that, more than anything else, was something that Adams wanted Durant to know that he had noticed. (Curry is) the face of the National Basketball Association in a lot of peoples’ eyes, and (he) wanted to see if he really would embrace me as a player, as a person. But now that he’s with a new team, it’s time to be embraced by the new fans. “I know we’re expected to be ideal each and every day, but I know that’s not realistic”. And it’s the best decision for me.
“It took me a couple hours to really think about that, and it’s hard for me to just trust somebody I just met and just talked to and making this huge change”, Durant said. I trusted my gut and I trusted my instincts.
On the Warriors’ pitch: “This group of guys, they came to see me and everything was real”.
“It was hard, being in a place for so long with the relationships that I’ve built”.
Durant was asked if he had spoken with Russell Westbrook about his decision to leave the Thunder.
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While Oklahoma City is still reeling from the move and deciding what to do next, the Warriors welcomed the 2014 NBA MVP to the Bay area. To add another guy who is so talented and not just a shooter and not just a defender. Tears were shed, but it was the journey for me. “The night before we were talking and I was just torn, and I told them (agent Rich Kleiman, manager Charlie Bell) I wanted to sleep on it, and when I woke up, I woke up at about 7 o’clock in the morning and they were asleep and I woke them up and said I wanted to go to the Warriors”. Hopefully I did, hopefully he understands and I’m sure we’ll talk again.
