After spending his first nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise, Kevin Durant decided to switch things up in the 2016 offseason. Coming off a Western Conference Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors, Durant controversially joined forces with Steph Curry and company in free agency.
However, Durant's free agency was filled with plenty of drama before the superstar forward signed with the Warriors.
There were plenty of reports about Durant's potential destinations, including talks about a meeting with the LA Clippers.
Kevin Durant attends the WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and the LA Sparks
May 25, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Kevin Durant attends the WNBA game between the Chicago Sky and the LA Sparks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
At the height of Durant's free agency in 2016, NBA reporter Aaron Bruski posted about the superstar's meeting with the Clippers, claiming that owner Steve Balmer cried.
Via Aaron Bruski: "Clippers meeting with Durant was 'intense' and 'at one point Steve Ballmer was crying' but everyone grew closer and a big lesson was learned"
Clippers meeting with Durant was “intense” and “at one point Steve Ballmer was crying” but everyone grew closer and a big lesson was learned
— Aaron Bruski (@aaronbruski) July 2, 2016
Now, nine years later, a fan asked Durant what actually happened during that free agency meeting with the Clippers, and the Phoenix Suns star responded with a funny admission.
Via Kevin Durant: "Somebody crying was news to me, we didn’t know what engagement farming was back then, Aaron was ahead of his time"
Somebody crying was news to me, we didn’t know what engagement farming was back then, Aaron was ahead of his time
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 9, 2025
Of course, the meeting did not go well enough for Durant to sign with Balmer and the Clippers, while Aaron Bruski certainly got the chance to "engagement farm," per Durant, after the reported interesting encounter.
Durant is now in the middle of another dramatic offseason, as he and the Suns are expected to work together to find a trade partner.