“I was honest with my decision, but just like outwardly if people ask me about it, don’t be ashamed to talk about why I decided to move teams and switch teams because it’s not the end of the world. I didn’t do anything against the law, you know what I’m saying? That’s what I thought happened the first time.”
Durant faced criticism when he opted to sign as a free agent with the Warriors in the summer of 2016 after eight seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kevin Durant knows all the questions about his future are coming this season — but he’s ready for them. He’s in a good place with the Warriors and he’s enjoying all the success he’s earned in his basketball life. He’s learned a lot from his OKC departure. https://t.co/hXQbtFoNQN
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) October 2, 2018
One month earlier, Golden State knocked off the Durant-led Thunder in the Western Conference finals.
“I’m like, ‘Man, there’s so much attention on me because I switched teams,'” Durant said. “I thought I did something wrong, but I knew deep down in my heart that was the perfect decision for me and I know that now I just got to stand on that, outwardly say it, and that will stop the speculation from a lot of people. … When they don’t know, when people really don’t know the end, the conclusion or why I did something, they’re going to always speculate and create stories and clicks and that’s only going to make me more upset. So I’d just rather keep it open and transparent with you.”
“I dealt with it before,” Durant said. “I just try to be as honest as I can. I’m not going to tell people what I’m thinking. … Some days I think about my free agency, some days I don’t. Some days I think about what my future looks like, some days I don’t. I’m just human. That’s just natural for me. But I can’t sit down and talk to people about it because I want to keep playing, I want to focus on the season.
“So I know the questions are going to come. I know a lot of people are going to speculate and print rumors and sources, but nobody’s heard from me about anything, so it’s just all speculation at this point.”
Fresh off winning his second straight NBA Finals MVP award, Durant is toying with the idea of leaving for free agency again. Not sure how much greener pastures there are out there than the Warriors.