After bringing home an NBA championship this past June, Kevin Durant’s ugly divorce from the Oklahoma City Thunder doesn’t sting as much as it used to.

If you were to ask the average NBA fan what they first think of OKC, Durant’s departure to the Golden State Warriors is likely the answer nine out of 10 times. He shocked the sports world as he joined a team he blew a 3-1 series lead to in the 2016 Western Conference Finals.

Durant antagonized the Warriors. With Stephen Curry, they were unstoppable. They won two rings in their first two seasons together. Alas, off-court drama and egos prematurely ended that NBA dynasty.

By now, you should know why Durant left the Thunder. He’s listed out several controversial reasons why. He added a new one recently when he appeared on Fred VanVleet’s ‘Unguarded’ podcast. They went from 2019 NBA Finals foes to teammates on the Houston Rockets. Although the latter has missed this season with a torn ACL.

“In OKC, we had a lot of specialists. We had dudes that played defense but couldn’t score on their own, or dudes that could shoot but then couldn’t guard that well,” Durant said. “There’s a lot that goes into making that offense work. We did a solid job.”

While Durant may be telling the truth, it’s funny that his description of his OKC squads is similar to Houston’s current team. They’re deep, but most of their role players are one-sided. Despite that, they’re one of the five best teams. Let’s see if they can replicate OKC’s playoff success.

“Golden State called me. I’m like, “S–t, they’re averaging 120 a game. I won’t have to worry bout a zone every time I catch the ball, double-teaming me as soon as the game starts,” Durant said. “… I feel like we made the game better because you had to come with it from the first possession of the game or you were gonna get blown out.”

Durant isn’t wrong. The future Hall-of-Famer had his best team success in his brief stint with the Warriors. Since then, he’s tried to recapture that magic on several teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns.

I’m sure OKC’s offense is one of the reasons why Durant left. That type of league-altering decision has several layers involved in it. The move defined the NBA’s 2010s era, with the ripple effects still being felt to this day. It was the first painful domino to fall that eventually led to the Thunder’s Larry O’Brien trophy.

Kevin Durant discusses leaving OKC for the Warriors:

“In OKC, we had a lot of specialists… dudes that played defense but couldn’t score on their own, or dudes that could shoot but then couldn’t guard that well…

Golden State called me I’m like, sh*t, they’re averaging 120 a… pic.twitter.com/WWBATaJXV2

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) December 17, 2025