OTD 2016: Kevin Durant Joined the 73-9 Warriors

July 4, 2016: Kevin Durant made his announcement that he would join the #Warriors coming off their 73-win season after they defeated Durant’s OKC Thunder in the WCF a month before KD’s decision. Durant won 2 FMVP during 3 straight NBA Finals trips
https://t.co/EZzlTFVBtU

— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) July 5, 2021

The OKC Thunder had one of the greatest teams in NBA history on the ropes in the 2016 playoffs. Up 3-1 on the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook ultimately proved unable to seal the deal. Steph Curry took his team back to the Finals, only to suffer the same fate by blowing a 3-1 lead against the Cavaliers. The Warriors and Thunder could have run it back next season.

They were both right there, but rumors about Kevin Durant’s dissatisfaction had been rumbling for a while. It became clear he would relocate in free agency. In a shocking move, he chose to join the championship-caliber team he almost defeated, the Warriors. The decision would predictably lead to the championships he chased for years with Finals MVPs on top as he joined what may be considered the most stacked team of all time. 

At last, there were no holes in Durant’s Hall of Fame resume. After suffering an Achilles tear in the 2019 Finals, he once again entered the free agency market to form another super team he could call his own with Kyrie Irving. Former MVP James Harden joined via trade in 2020 to round out the most offensively potent big three in NBA history, but the KD-Curry-Klay Warriors trio will likely never be surpassed as the greatest shooting trifecta in the history of the game.

June 30, 2019: 1st day of NBA Free Agency was held before July for the 1st time ever: Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant signed with the #Nets, D’Angelo Russell went to the Warriors, Kemba Walker to Boston, Jimmy Butler to Miami, Malcolm Brogdon to the Pacershttps://t.co/6xn8DDDD8n

— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) June 30, 2021