Kevin Durant: It was ‘tough’ to turn down Clippers in free agency

Just how seriously was Kevin Durant considering the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency this past summer? Perhaps a bit more than you may have thought.

Before Wednesday night’s highly-anticipated showdown between the Clippers and his Golden State Warriors, Durant commented on how difficult it was to turn down Lob City’s free agent pursuit of him over the offseason.

“Blake, D.J., and C.P — that’s what made it interesting,” Durant said in reference to the Clipper trio of Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chris Paul, per Anthony Slater of the San Jose Mercury News. “Those three guys are tremendous, unbelievable talents. They made it tough on me. They made it tough. Just knowing those guys. Like I said, D.J. is a close friend. C.P., I’ve known him since I was in high school. I got to know Blake over the years.

“All that other stuff — I’ve been in L.A. every summer,” continued Durant. “Facilities, all that stuff is the same to me. As long as you have a court and the ball. And Jamal Crawford has been a close friend of mine since I’ve been in the league, so the players, that’s what made it tough. They did a great job.”

The Clippers were indeed mentioned as a finalist in the Durant sweepstakes with their revolving door of small forwards over the years representing perhaps their biggest weakness as a team. But Luc Mbah a Moute has been a revelation for them at the 3 this year, adding significant growth on the offensive end to go along with his already elite perimeter defense. So even if the Clippers ultimately failed to land Durant, who they might not have even had the cap room for anyway with their roster as currently constructed, perhaps everything still worked out for the best in the end.

H/T CBS Sports