After three seasons, two NBA titles and one torn Achilles tendon, Kevin Durant left the Warriors and signed with the Brooklyn Nets during the summer of 2019.
And neither Klay Thompson nor Golden State as a whole blame the two-time NBA Finals MVP for his high-profile departure.
“I don’t blame him, we don’t blame Kevin for leaving at all,” Thompson told former Warriors Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on their podcast, “All the Smoke.”
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“[Durant] is from the East Coast, and if I was [from] the East Coast and I had a great -- was two games away from a three-peat, it’s like, ‘What more do y’all want from me, man? You want a six-peat?’
“If it wasn’t for catastrophic things, we probably would have had three championships in that time, but man, we don’t blame him at all.”
Both Durant and Thompson suffered season-ending injuries during the 2019 NBA Finals, and the Warriors ultimately fell to the Toronto Raptors in their quest for a third consecutive Larry O’Brien Trophy.
It was a disappointing end to a successful few years with Durant, Thompson, Steph Curry and Draymond Green at the Warriors’ core -- a time Thompson referred to as “special’ as the team dominated the league.
Golden State Warriors
Thompson told Barnes and Jackson it wasn’t difficult putting egos aside when “you know you can win banners” despite the “outright hate” the Warriors received when Durant first arrived in the Bay. But as Dub Nation can recall, it eventually came to an end with the sign-and-trade deal that sent Durant to the Nets.
“We knew he kind of wanted to bounce a little bit and go back home, and we’ll still forever have those two going back to back,” Thompson said. “And gosh, so close [to a three-peat]. But what can you do.”
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Now three years removed from Durant’s exit, it’s clear Thompson has plenty of fond memories from the NBA star’s time with the Warriors.
And with yet another NBA championship under their belts since then, the Warriors don’t need to waste any time playing the blame game.