The Kevin Durant/Thunder/Warriors saga has collapsed into reports of tension between the former MVP and his longtime running mate, Russell Westbrook. It was Durant and Westbrook’s relationship, which was believed to be among the closest relationships in the league between teammates both on and off the court, that would keep KD in OKC at least until next season. That’s what sports writers and analysts across America believed. Durant would return to OKC on a 2-year deal with an option to opt out after the first season, at which time he and Westbrook would become free agents together, and decide together which jersey they would wear as they continued to wreak havoc on opposing defenses.
However, that’s not how things shook down. On July 4, Durant announced via The Player’s Tribune that he’d be joining the Warriors, just days after he and Westbrook sat down for dinner with Nick Collison to discuss a potential future in blue, orange and white. Since then, Westbrook has not been heard from. According to ESPN Thunder beat-writer Royce Young, interview requests have been declined, and Westbrook has been forced to think about his future a year early.
Still, the reports being filed about the atmosphere surrounding the Westbrook-Durant relationship have not been promising. Durant told Chinese publication Sine that he hopes Westbrook supports and respects his decision, while Bleacher Report‘s Howard Beck alleged that it was Westbrook’s headstrong playing style that pushed Durant to leave the team. Durant has since denied those reports, but a new one has popped up indicating that Westbrook is flat out “angry” that KD left without personally alerting Westbrook of his decision. Per Young for ESPN:
The two have not spoken since Durant’s decision. Those close to Westbrook say he’s both angry and hurt not only by Durant’s decision to leave but also because Durant didn’t even call to tell him personally. Westbrook wasn’t prepared to be in this position — three weeks ago, like everyone else, he thought Durant was coming back. And he had to learn the hard way he wasn’t.
If that is in fact true, that Westbrook learned of Durant’s decision on Twitter like everyone else, that’s a hard pill to swallow, even for non-Thunder fans. Durant has been said to be a closed book to everyone except his teammates and his family, which makes it hard to believe that Westbrook was completely shut out until July 4.
Now, we wait to hear Westbrook’s side of things.
