Kevin Durant denies that Draymond Green drove him out of the Golden State Warriors: “We were good before it, we were great after” originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Kevin Durant supposedly left the Golden State Warriors because of on-and-off-court friction with Draymond Green. However, the Slim Reaper clarified that that was never the case.
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In a 2019 article from the Wall Street Journal, KD opened up about his relationship with his polarizing former teammate and the reason he left the Warriors after tearing his Achilles tendon.
“It’s a bullshit argument that meant nothing,” Durant said, referring to the time when he and Green hurled insults at each other in a series of games in the 2018-2019 season. “That meant nothing. Absolutely nothing. We were good before it. We were great.”
The Warriors offense ran its course with Durant
Any championship-caliber team had a confrontation story among its troops that ultimately made the group stronger and more united. It’s a tale as old as time. Think Michael Jordan decking Steve Kerr or Robert Parish calling MJ’s bluff.
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By all accounts, those things are bound to happen in a team full of accomplished athletes. Durant was already a regular season MVP and two-time finals MVP by then, while Green was long Dub Nation’s heart and soul before KD was there. As Durant mentioned, the fans were speculating and made something out of nothing.
So, what’s the real score on why Durant spurned the Warriors in favor of the Brooklyn Nets? Apparently simple boredom.
“The motion offense we run in Golden State, it only works to a certain point,” explained KD. “We can totally rely on only our system for maybe the first two rounds. Then the next two rounds we’re going to have to mix in individual play. We’ve got to throw teams off, because they’re smarter in that round of playoffs. So now I had to dive into my bag, deep, to create stuff on my own, off the dribble, isos, pick-and-rolls, more so than let the offense create my points for me.”
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What Durant wanted was complete freedom on offense, which he wouldn’t have had if he remained in the Bay Area. It’s an interesting answer since the main issue behind the Warriors’ failure to capture three straight titles was health more than anything else.
Regardless, Durant got what he wanted, got paid handsomely for it and played with Kyrie Irving, whom he considers one of his best friends. The Nets enjoyed moderate success in the 2021 playoffs after Durant missed the entire 2019-20 season to rehab his Achilles.
KD’s Golden State experience
Durant is still looking for his first championship since the one he won with the Warriors in 2018. But then again, his experience with Golden State was more about learning not to put too much weight on others’ opinions than about his extensive personal accolades.
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“There was so much confusion over how I left OKC about who I was as an individual. And I felt like I needed to explain that to the media and NBA fans, but after a while I was just like, they going to believe what they going to believe regardless. So there’s no need for me to even f— up their experience and try to shift and change the way they think about the situation,” said KD.
“After a while, I was just like f— it, you can think however you want to think. I know that’s just a part of it. I’m done trying to get you to understand who I am as a person and player,” he added.
Durant’s departure from Golden State followed the same logic as his exit from Oklahoma City. It was apparently his call and not a reaction to anyone else’s behavior. He chased a situation that fit his vision of basketball, even if it meant leaving a championship core behind.
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The Draymond spat was loud and made good sports show reaction segments, but that did not seal his fate. Durant left for basketball reasons only he fully understood.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.