Warriors: Is Draymond Green’s view on Kevin Durant valid?

Draymond Green recently shared his thoughts on Kevin Durant’s departure from the Golden State Warriors, but are his comments validated or out of line?

Golden State Warriors‘ forward Draymond Green has never shied away from showcasing how he genuinely feels about something and continued to do so recently.

Green appeared on Uninterrupted’s “WRTS: After Party” show with Paul Rivera and Maverick Carter, and discussed the departure of former teammate Kevin Durant after last season.

As expected, Green shared his displeasure and how he believed Durant should have handled the situation very differently from the start.

"“Kevin took the one-year deal on his own. So that was kind of the elephant in the room… And although Steve (Kerr) would kind of hit on it, (saying), ‘Lets just enjoy this year for what it is because we don’t know what next year holds,’ it didn’t necessarily carry the same weight because what should have happened was Kevin come out and say, ‘Hey, man, this is it, so let’s do this,’ or, ‘This isn’t it.'”"

Green made some valid points with this statement, but at the time that Durant signed the deal, all signs pointed to the two-time Finals MVP eventually re-signing with the team long term.

Yes, Durant signed a deal that permitted him to leave after one year if he chose, but Golden State had transformed into a dynasty that could run the league for many years to come, something that many other places in the league could not offer.

While Draymond was not going to approach free agency for another year, Klay Thompson and Durant would become free agents at the same time, and only one committed long term.

This scenario served as a distraction for a team chasing a championship and rightfully upset Durant’s former teammates. Durant’s lack of an answer seemingly turned into a team-wide distraction as Green detailed.

"“But you can’t just leave the elephant in the room, because what happened was the question came to us every day, like every time we spoke to the media, Klay and myself was asked about our contract. It was strictly due to Kevin.”"

Still, as previously stated, all signs pointed towards Durant eventually re-signing, until a fateful November overtime loss to the LA Clippers.

It occurred after a mishap in the finals second of regulation where Green neglected to give Durant the ball for the last shot, and the two got into a heated exchange.

Although the exact words from the exchange are unknown, the comments Green directed at Durant were something along the lines of, “We don’t need you. We won without you. Leave,” along with, “You’re a b—h, and you know you’re a b—h.”

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After this altercation, it was evident that Kevin Durant was going to leave the Warriors once this season concluded. This incident distanced Durant from the rest of the team, and things were clearly never the same afterward.

So, yes, Draymond Green had a valid point when he said that Durant could give the team any indication if he planned to stay or not. A situation like this absolutely left a cloud hanging over the team, and a simple answer from Durant on his intentions would change everything.

Had Durant given even the briefest of answers earlier, he still might be a member of the Warriors for years to come because Golden State seemed like the clear destination long-term.

However, Green and the rest of the Warriors undoubtedly received the answer they searched for after the altercation he started with Durant.

Unfortunately, it was not the one they hoped for.