Kevin Durant's Warriors Exit Timeline Dates Back To 2018 Joke

The seed for Kevin Durant’s impending departure from Golden State Warriors was planted well before this summer. It all happened during the former NBA champions’ victory celebration after the 2018 triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Former Boston Celtics star and a close friend of Durant, Kendrick Perkins revealed in a recent interview that the small forward had “one foot out of the door” during the 2018-19 season because they were taking him for granted. A source close to Durant also spoke of the disrespect shown to the player by the Warriors, which was the final straw that saw him sign with the Brooklyn Nets in free agency.

But according to the source, via The Undefeated, it all began with Warriors general manager Bob Myers’ joke about Durant’s contract situation during the 2018 NBA championship victory parade. He made a joke while on stage with the player, head coach Steve Kerr and television play-by-play man Bob Fitzgerald.

“I heard you tell Kevin Durant he could have whatever contract he wants next year,” Fitzgerald said to Myers, as quoted on the New York Post. “That was just for the media. He can’t have anything like that at all,” Myers responded. Kerr interjected: “Mid-level.”

"I think last year you told Steph (Curry) he could have any contract he wants, too,” Fitzgerald said. “Yeah, that was different. He’s been here from the way-before days. He’s earned it,” Myers said, making immediately awkward for both Curry and Durant, who laughed.

Durant has faced a lot of criticism for joining the Warriors from Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016 and despite winning the 2016 and 2017 NBA Finals MVP, he was never considered an integral part of the franchise like Curry or even Klay Thompson, who were drafted into the team.

Durant then had a falling out with Draymond Green, who reminded the small forward that the Warriors had won a title without him. The Warriors, however, lost the 2019 Finals to Toronto Raptors without the 30-year-old, who suffered two injuries during the playoffs – first a calf injury that kept him out for a month and then a catastrophic Achilles injury that is likely to see him miss the entire 2019-20 campaign.

“They’re going to miss him when he’s gone,” Perkins told The Undefeated. “I talked to KD and he is happy. It was time for him to leave Golden State. They were taking him for granted.”

“I love it for KD,” Perkins added. “It’s great for KD and Kyrie to be in the New York area. This is a golden opportunity for KD, and I think he will do great.”

A source close to Durant revealed that all the negativity toward the player showed a lack of respect, especially since he put his body on the line to try and help them win another championship. And despite facing the prospect of spending an entire season on the sidelines, he is likely to be the leader of the Nets team once he returns to court.

“All that showed a lack of respect for one of the greatest players to put that uniform on and the fact that he took all that abuse and still put his career on the line to help them win,” the source told The Undefeated.

Meanwhile, Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob paid tribute to Durant after it was confirmed that he will leave the team. He thanked the small forward for playing a key role in their dominance over the last four seasons and confirmed that no other player will don the famous No.35 jersey in the future.