Kevin Durant Admits Altercation With Draymond Green Played a Role in Warriors Exit

Kevin Durant arguing with a referee during a Warriors vs Magic game in 2017. Photo by Robert John Herbert/CSM/REX/Shutterstock

Draymond Green played a big part in convincing Kevin Durant to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016. And as it turns out, Green also played a role in Durant’s decision to leave the franchise three years later and join the Brooklyn Nets.

Durant, who won’t play this season due to an Achilles injury, made an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, where he discussed several topics, including him leaving Golden State for Brooklyn. At one point, host Stephen A. Smith asked Durant whether the altercation he had with Green last season had something to do with his decision.

“A little bit, yeah for sure,” – Durant responded. “Yeah I mean, your teammate talks to you that way, you think about it a little bit. Definitely, for sure, I’m not going to lie about it.”

Kevin Durant and Draymond Green confronted after losing a game to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first part of the 2018/19 NBA season and were caught on camera yelling at each other. The argument continued in the locker room, and it ended up creating a negative atmosphere around the team. While Durant and Green ended up fixing their relationship, it looks like KD didn’t completely forget this incident.

Elsewhere in the interview, Durant further explained why he left the Warriors, saying he felt like he “needed a switch.”

“I felt like a lot of stuff in Golden State had reared its head,” – he added. “I felt like it was going to be the end no matter what, especially for that group.

Despite everything, Durant’s time with Warriors was highly successful. In three years with the franchise, he helped the team to reach three NBA Finals and win two titles, while also winning two Finals MVP awards.

Harley loves music and tries to go to a music festival every summer. When he's not listening to music, he writes about movies, food and wine, art, and sport.