On this day in 2016, the Oklahoma City Thunder were forever changed when Kevin Durant announced his departure to sign with the Golden State Warriors.
As most are aware, Durant changed the NBA landscape with a single move seven years ago. The Thunder lost their greatest player — up to that point — in franchise history and their championship window officially closed.
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What made this move sting worse was that the Thunder were a win away from upsetting the Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. To go from championship aspirations to your title window closed in a one-month span was quite the whiplash of emotions for the fanbase.
Alas, this anniversary doesn’t hurt as much as it used to. Thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the greatest and best player in Thunder history — along with others, the Thunder won their first NBA championship just last month. That erases any lingering pain from the fanbase with Durant’s departure.
Meanwhile, Durant enjoyed a three-year tenure with the Warriors that featured back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018. Since then, though, he’s jumped around bad situations from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns. A fresh start with the Houston Rockets hopes to change that.
It looks like the Thunder got the last laugh. They’re going to be a perennial contender with more chances at championships. Meanwhile, Durant has spent the twilight of his career in toxic situations, partially caused by himself.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: On this day: Kevin Durant leaves Thunder for Warriors in 2016