Russell Westbrook was one of the main reasons many believed Kevin Durant would stick it out with the Oklahoma City Thunder for at least one more season. As it turns out, the star point guard may have helped push Durant out the door.
A source familiar with Durant’s decision making process told Howard Beck of Bleacher Report this week that Durant became frustrated with the Thunder’s offense and the way it failed to evolve under new head coach Billy Donovan. More specifically, K.D. was irritated that Westbrook still wasn’t sharing the ball enough.
“Ultimately he got frustrated and felt that they had plateaued,” Beck’s source said. “(Donovan) came in, and he still had the same issues that he had with Russ under (former head coach Scott Brooks). The offense didn’t change much. He still had to take a ton of contested shots every game; and that’s when he had the ball at all.”
Durant loves the way the Warriors move the ball, and he’s confident he’ll get plenty of scoring opportunities in Golden State despite the ridiculous amount of talent on the roster.
“He’s never going to have a game in Golden State where Steve Kerr has to say at halftime, ‘You guys need to get Kevin the ball,’ which happened in OKC,” the source added.
While some believed Durant would be inclined to stay in Oklahoma City because the Thunder came just one win away from a trip to the NBA Finals, Beck’s source claims the collapse against the Warriors actually validated K.D.’s concerns.
Durant and Westbrook were seen arguing on the court several times (here’s a recent example) while they were teammates, but their relationship was always said to be a good one. Even if they like each other, that doesn’t mean Durant was always happy with Westbrook’s playing style.
