It seems like Kevin Durant never quite recovered from the altercation with Draymond Green. The Warriors star and Green got into a heated verbal confrontation during the middle of November 2018. And looking at how things have transpired since that moment, that incident may have been the turning point for Kevin Durant’s career with the Golden State Warriors.
Durant-Green feud big reason for KD’s departure
This is not just wild speculation- this idea comes from Kendrick Perkins himself. Kendrick was a former teammate of Durant’s, and is still good friends with him. He appeared on ESPN, and pretty much confirmed that the feud played a big part in Durant’s decision to leave.
"KD never bounced back from the Draymond situation." @KendrickPerkins explains to @Rachel__Nichols why he thinks Kevin Durant parted ways with the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/49p6gHjkOm
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 4, 2019
The Warriors did try to salvage the situation, they did have a chance to sign Durant back. They tried to get in his good books by suspending Draymond, but then the owner came out two months after the incident, saying he wanted Draymond at the Warriors for life. That wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence for Durant, and he chose to leave.
How the spat between Kevin Durant and Draymond Green unfolded
Publicly, however, it seems both Durant and Green have made amends. Perkins clearly feels that there is still some animosity left between the two.
The spat itself actually came from Green not passing the ball to Durant, in the very last seconds of the fourth quarters of a loss to the Clippers. While Durant was desperately asking for the ball, Green decided to rush up the court instead, eventually turning the ball over.
Kevin Durant says he will now wear No. 7 as he begins his Brooklyn Nets career, switching from No. 35.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 7, 2019
The spat then escalated off the court. Green reportedly called Durant a “b**ch”, even going as far to say “we don’t need you”.
That whole debacle hurt, and the loss in the NBA Finals to the Raptors was the straw that broke the camel’s back- Durant decided to leave and will move to Brooklyn shortly.
