“That Was A Horrible Divorce”: Former Teammate Reveals Why Kevin Durant Left the Oklahoma City Thunder for Golden State Warriors
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In sports, there are so many crazy “what if” stories that make headlines. The NBA especially has crazy stories regarding trade deals and free agency transfers that make the fans go bonkers. In this article, we try to determine what if Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook had stayed together with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kendrick Perkins claims they could have become the best duo in history
Two icons of the game, Kendrick Perkins and Paul Pierce, joined Rachel Nichols on ESPN’s ‘The Jump’ recently. The trio discussed possible outcomes if KD and Westbrook had remained on good terms.
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“If Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant never break up, I see the Oklahoma City Thunder building a dynasty,” Perkins began. The 2008 NBA champion stated if KD and Westbrook’s relationship had stayed intact, they could have become one of the best duos to feature in the NBA. “I wish they would’ve never broken up because they were scratching at the surface knocking right at the front door of winning the NBA title.”
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Tonight ESPN is re-airing two key Warriors NBA Finals games, one pre-KD & one with KD. That got us thinking about the chain reaction if Durant had stayed in OKC instead – would Russ & KD have a title together? Would LeBron have one more ring? What about the Rockets and Warriors? pic.twitter.com/QoOKY8Brr4
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) May 13, 2020
Expressing his resentment over the failed partnership between KD and Westbrook, Perkins’ comments were backed up by his long-time Celtics teammate, Paul Pierce. “If KD stays in Oklahoma, I can see no dynasty for the Warriors. I can see no dynasty at all.”
Pierce mentioned how if KD never left the team, LeBron James could have won an extra title. His rivalry with the Warriors grew with time, and Durant coming in just made the Bay team even stronger.
The monumental pairing of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant
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KD and Westbrook’s pairing evolved into great heights just a couple of years before the former left for the Warriors. They broke several records playing together and had the NBA in their fists. They became the first pair of teammates to each score 40 points in a game since 1996. Durant even broke a few scoring records himself. However, Pierce had the perfect response to their problems.
“It was a power struggle there. We know KD was the best player, but Russ wanted to be the man. It was a reason KD left for the Warriors. It wasn’t because they weren’t as talented, I mean Russ was an MVP caliber player.”
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While what Pierce mentioned might have been true, Perkins, who played with the pair during his stint with the Thunder, gave his two-cents about the players. He felt if they had stayed together in the coming years, they could have put aside their differences and focused on the important goal, which is to win the championship.
However, time travel isn’t possible, and Perkins hates the fact that they aren’t together. “I just wish they would have never broke up. That was a bad break up. That was a horrible divorce,” he exclaimed.
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