Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic wrote a lengthy piece on Durant’s relationship with Stephen Curry. Thompson says there were no behind-the-scenes issues between Durant and Curry, but they simply never became as close as Durant hoped they would. Their lives off the court are much different, as Curry is married with kids and Durant is single. That likely played a role, but Durant also chose to join a team that had taken the NBA by storm and already won a championship. It’s only natural that he felt like an outsider at times.
By joining the Nets, Thompson says Durant confirmed that “friendship” is what he valued most with writing the next chapter of his career. He wanted to team up with Irving with the Knicks, but he went with Kyrie’s choice instead. DeAndre Jordan, another close friend of Durant’s, is also signing with Brooklyn.
Durant was clearly bothered by the issues he had with Draymond Green early last season, and perhaps that was a microcosm for his overall relationship with his teammates. Even if the team was able to get past it, it shows that Green didn’t appreciate being questioned by Durant. Would he have reacted that way if it was Curry or Klay Thompson who came at him? Maybe. Probably not.
In Irving, Durant may feel he has a teammate who understands him. Irving has been endlessly criticized for his inability to lead a young Boston Celtics team deep into the postseason, and Durant is hyperaware of that kind of criticism.
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