The 2016 NBA offseason changed the league’s landscape forever.
That summer, the sole focus was on where NBA superstar Kevin Durant would sign. Was he going to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he had spent his first nine seasons of his career, or was he about to jump ship after shortcoming after shortcoming?
That was the biggest question of the summer, and by almost everyone’s surprise, Durant shocked the basketball world when he decided to join the Golden State Warriors after they had just collected 73 wins and were one win away from yet another NBA title.
The move shaped the NBA as we know it, and in a recent appearance on the Unguarded Podcast, Durant breaksdown his decision on leaving the Thunder for the Warriors.
"In OKC, we had a lot of specialists. Dudes that played defense but couldn't score on their own. Couldn't shoot the ball, somebody who could shoot but then couldn't guard that well,” Durant said.
"Golden state calling me I'm like sh*t, they averaging 120 a game. I don't have to worry bout a zone everytime I catch the ball, top locking me, double teaming me… I feel like we made the game better because you had to come with it from the 1st possession of the game or you're gonna get blown out.”
Durant initially signed a two-year, $54.3 million deal with a player option for the second year. Prior to what happened to be his final season in Golden State, he signed another two-year deal, this time worth $61.5 million with a player option at the end of the 2018-19 season.
Durant’s decision to join the Warriors shaped the NBA in more ways than one.
It was a true superteam formation, with a top-three player joining another top-three player at the time, plus two other future Hall of Famers. On top of that, it was a controversial move to say the least. His departure from Oklahoma City sparked massive debate about loyalty, superstar power, and player empowerment, shaping how stars view team building and their approach to free agency.
Durant’s decision in 2016 forced the league to adapt in more ways than one, ushering in an era of how teams approached roster construction and free agency.
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