NBA: Curry Explains Durant's Complaint About Not Fitting In

The Golden State Warriors have gone from the favorites with five seasons of domination to underdogs after a summer of change that saw Kevin Durant depart the team to join Brooklyn Nets. They also lost Andre Iguodala, who was traded to Memphis Grizzlies and Shaun Livingston, who announced his retirement after 15 seasons.

Durant’s departure was the biggest loss with the small forward having picked up two NBA Finals MVP accolades during their championship wins in 2017 and 2018. During a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, the forward spoke about his decision to leave the Warriors and why he always felt like an outsider and never part of the inner circle.

Stephen Curry is the soul of the Warriors and has been the centerpiece during their dominance for the last five seasons. The team is moving out of Oakland for the 2019-20 campaign as they begin to put down roots at their new home – The Chase Center – in Mission Bay, San Francisco.

The 2-time MVP spoke to ESPN’s Rachel Nicols and during the in-depth interview, the question about Durant’s departure was inevitable. The Warriors point guard admits that it was a personal decision and one that they have come to accept while revealing that he is looking forward to the battles they will share as rivals in the future.

“At the end of the day, we live in an age where choice at the forefront, and K, you know, made a decision for himself and you can't argue that," Curry told Nicols. "I wish we could still play with K. He's an unbelievable talent, unbelievable person. We accomplished a lot together."

“But -- you know, things have changed a little bit. So you obviously wish him the best, obviously with his recovery first and foremost and things on and off the court. But we're gonna have to battle down the road. So this should be a fun, new experience on that front, too,” he added.

Curry also addressed Durant’s comments about not feeling part of the core group when he was part of the Warriors franchise. The likes of Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were drafted into the franchise while a number of other players had been there from the start of their dominant era unlike Durant, who arrived in 2016.

"I mean, that's tough," Curry said. "There's so many narratives that go on, especially when you're at the top of the league. No matter how, you know, the full transition happens to Brooklyn, him separating himself from the Warriors -- that's gonna happen."

"I think he knows, you know, what we were about as teammates, what we were about as friends on and off the court. And again, nobody is gonna take away the accomplishments we had. But at the end of the day, whatever he, you know, needed to do to make that decision and however he wants to explain that -- that's just what's gonna happen."

However, there was one aspect Curry did not agree with his former teammate and that was the criticism leveled on the Warriors’ offense and the offensive system Steve Kerr ran during the playoffs. Durant said that the motion offense they ran was good only in the first two rounds but after it should have been about individual talent.

"Well, I don't care what plays we ran," the Warriors guard said. "We won two championships. And at the end of the day, we had a lotta talent and there was an expectation of us figuring out how to balance all that. And we talked a lot about it throughout the three-year run."

“It wasn't always perfect, but I think in terms of, you know, the results and what we were able to do on the floor, that kinda speaks for itself. We all wanna play iso-ball at the end of the day in some way, shape or form. But I'd rather have some championships, too."