By choosing to sign with the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant was effectively saying goodbye to Russell Westbrook, his partner in crime for the last eight years. The two had turned into superstars together and transformed the Thunder into a championship contender. Yet feeling like he couldn’t actually win a championship with Westbrook and the Thunder, Durant opted to leave for Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
Durant didn’t shy away about his decision though. Since Westbrook is like a brother to him, Durant was up front with his now former teammate about his decision. It probably wasn’t an easy conversation for Durant to have with Westbrook, especially since they essentially grew up together in the NBA the last eight seasons. As Durant can acknowledge, their relationship will likely be much, much different.
“I just told him, I let him know how I felt.” Durant said in an interview with Sina. “And you obviously, our relationship probably won’t ever be the same again, but it’s something I wanted to do and I expressed that to him. Hopefully, he respected it.”
You have to admire Durant’s bluntness here. Durant may have been selfish in his decision, but he has every right to be. Plus, let’s be honest, the foundation of Durant’s career-altering decision couldn’t be made based off of a friendship, regardless of how important that relationship may have been to him.
Still, Durant’s individual decision has a serious impact on Westbrook, who is a free agent next summer and now could similarly leave the Thunder for a team with a better shot at winning a championship. All of this is why Durant is acknowledging that their relationship has forever been changed. Whether it changed for the good or for the worse, it’s still too early to tell but Durant is at least well aware that his relationship with Westbrook will never truly be the same.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
