Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ImagesThe Warriors made the announcement in a press release Monday, following Sunday night's news that Durant was signing with the Brooklyn Nets, joining Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan:
Warriors PR @WarriorsPRStatement from Warriors Co-Chairman & CEO Joe Lacob on Kevin Durant: https://t.co/D2TPPZPuz1
Despite some of the drama that corresponded with the Durant years, there's no question that his three seasons in the Bay Area were a resounding success.
The 30-year-old averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.5 blocks per game with Golden State. He won two titles and was the MVP in both of those Finals, and he was a first-team All-NBA selection in the 2017-18 campaign and made the All-NBA Second Team twice.
While the fit between the Warriors and Durant wasn't seamless on the court—Durant is the league's best isolation scorer, while Golden State runs an offense predicated on motion, ball-movement and perimeter shooting—the pairing arguably still worked about as well as any other attempt at a superteam in NBA history.
The Warriors with Durant were a historically good team and were the prohibitive favorites to win a third straight title in 2018-19 before a series of injuries, including to Durant, limited them in the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors.
Given some of the off-court drama in Golden State, however, Durant's departure felt inevitable. B/R's Howard Beck offered some insight into that part of his decision to join the Nets and leave the Warriors:
"Durant had grown weary of the perpetual drama in Golden State, even while leading the Warriors to two straight championships. What some found refreshing about the Warriors—their big personalities, their outspokenness on both on- and off-court issues—Durant found distracting. He wanted a team that placed basketball above all else.
"And he wanted to escape the draining debate about whether the Warriors were Stephen Curry's team or his. At times, Durant felt taken for granted as the Warriors worked to re-emphasize their pre-Durant 'beautiful game' of constant movement—at the expense of Durant's isolation play."
And so a divorce felt natural. Retiring Durant's jersey, to Golden State's credit, is a classy move. With Durant in their past, the Warriors will now turn to pursuing their next championship behind Curry, Klay Thompson (once he returns from his ACL tear), Draymond Green and the newly acquired D'Angelo Russell.
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