Over a decade later, one of the most shocking moves in NBA history still requires a lot of brain power to process. Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors in 2016 is one of those history-altering events whose ripple effects can still be felt today.
After giving up a 3-1 series lead in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, Durant joined the arch-rivals to team up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. That quartet of first-ballot Hall-of-Famers made the following couple of years skippable as they cruised their way to back-to-back NBA championships.
You know the story by now. The Thunder went all in to keep Durant. And despite their organizational pleas and pitches, it wasn't enough to convince the NBA superstar to stick around and run it back. His exit took a decade to get over as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped heal the scars with a Larry O'Brien trophy in 2025.
In one of an endless supply of perspectives on Durant's decision, Dion Waiters weighed in with his two cents. He appeared on the 'Real Talk with MJ' podcast in Oct. 2024 to reflect on his exit and how it affected the role player's next move as he signed a last-resort one-year deal with the Miami Heat in the aftermath.
"We was in the WCF up 3-1 against Golden State. Tricked it off, bro. We're supposed to went to the Finals against Cleveland," Waiters said. "I feel like we would've beaten Cleveland. We just messed up at the right time, bro."
#back #golden #decade
After giving up a 3-1 series lead in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, Durant joined the arch-rivals to team up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. That quartet of first-ballot Hall-of-Famers made the following couple of years skippable as they cruised their way to back-to-back NBA championships.
You know the story by now. The Thunder went all in to keep Durant. And despite their organizational pleas and pitches, it wasn't enough to convince the NBA superstar to stick around and run it back. His exit took a decade to get over as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander helped heal the scars with a Larry O'Brien trophy in 2025.
In one of an endless supply of perspectives on Durant's decision, Dion Waiters weighed in with his two cents. He appeared on the 'Real Talk with MJ' podcast in Oct. 2024 to reflect on his exit and how it affected the role player's next move as he signed a last-resort one-year deal with the Miami Heat in the aftermath.
"We was in the WCF up 3-1 against Golden State. Tricked it off, bro. We're supposed to went to the Finals against Cleveland," Waiters said. "I feel like we would've beaten Cleveland. We just messed up at the right time, bro."
#back #golden #decade
4 days ago
