The Golden State Warriors have moved on from Kevin Durant, but that doesn’t mean owner Joe Lacob isn’t still confused by his decision to leave.
Kevin Durant, when he joined following the 2015-2016 season, immediately made the Golden State Warriors one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
They rallied off three straight Finals appearances, winning two of them, before Durant opted not to re-sign with the Warriors. Had they finished the job against Toronto, things could be completely different.
But, with Durant rupturing his Achilles after sustaining a calf injury earlier on in the postseason, his relationship with the medical staff was put in limbo.
Durant’s time with the Warriors was likely over following a brutal Game 6 finale in which Kawhi Leonard came out victorious and the Warriors lost both Durant (earlier in the series) and Klay Thompson to career-altering injuries.
It was always a possibility that Durant didn’t mesh with the team’s culture, one that took years and hundreds of games to put together.
After Draymond Green and Durant had an emotional moment at the end of the team’s midseason game with the Clippers, the chances of Durant leaving seemed to hit an all-time high.
That said, the following offseason, the former MVP made that league-changing move. He orchestrated a sign-and-trade, sending the four-time scoring championship to the Brooklyn Nets to team up with Kyrie Irving.
That move still doesn’t make sense to Joe Lacob, the Warriors’ owner. Here’s a snippet of what he said with Karl Busheck of 95.7 The Game.
“Which, to me, made no sense. Like, you’re the best organization, I hope he thinks, in the world. Winning. Other great players. I mean, the new arena. To me, there was like every reason in the world to stay, but I’m not going to be mad at him because, you know, it’s his life. And he earned the right. And for whatever reason, he decided he wanted to leave,” Lacob said, via Karl Buscheck of 95.7 The Game.
Lacob makes a few good points. However, at the end of the day, it’s Durant’s life. It’s his decision to leave, and it’s one that he felt was necessary. But, there’s no hard feeling from Lacob, just a bit of confusion.
The Warriors are currently the Western Conference worst team, but with Stephen Curry’s return on the horizon, a projected top-three first-round pick, and Klay Thompson returning to full strength for next season, the future is still bright in the Bay Area.