Klay Thompson: 'No Hard Feelings' About Kevin Durant Leaving Warriors for Nets
Kevin Durant shook up the NBA world when he left the Golden State Warriors to pair with Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets this offseason, and while it was a major loss for the Dubs, shooting guard Klay Thompson told Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic:
"It was no hard feelings, man. I know Kevin. It sucks because we go from the most dominant team ever to—a really good team, but that's still a big drop-off, you know. I just enjoyed playing with him, man. It's fun to play with him every day. He's such a hard worker and he's fun to watch. He really is just a great basketball player. I'll miss that.
"He cares. That's what makes him so good. He's passionate about what he does—just because he's so gifted and people see how naturally gifted he is, they don't realize how much he cares and how much work he puts in. I saw him work so hard every day. You don't do that if you don't have a passion and care for what you do."
Durant's time in Golden State was mostly fruitful. The Warriors won two titles in his first two years and seemed on pace for a third this past season before the injury bug bit them in the postseason. Durant only played in 12 games during the 2018-19 postseason and suffered a ruptured Achilles when he made his return in Game 5 during the NBA Finals.
Thompson, meanwhile, tore his ACL in Game 6, as the Toronto Raptors stunned the Warriors and won their first NBA title. It's fair to question if things would have gone differently had Durant been healthy enough to play the entire series. Perhaps he would have still departed for Brooklyn in the offseason, but at least he would have potentially left the Warriors with three straight titles.
Instead, Durant is in Brooklyn with two titles to his name, and it remains uncertain if he'll play at all this season. Thompson is also facing a long injury recovery, and the Warriors have a whole new look, with Durant, DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston gone, replaced by D'Angelo Russell and Willie Cauley-Stein, among others.
There are more fit questions in Golden State with Russell than there ever was with Durant. Russell has traditionally been a pick-and-roll ball-handler, while the Dubs have preferred a more motion-based, flowing offense. The defensive pairing of Curry and Russell also won't slow down many backcourts.
Granted, sliding two new stars into Brooklyn and finding chemistry with the roster already in place will take time too, especially since it's possible Durant could miss the entire season.
It will be a while before we see Thompson coexisting with his new teammates and Durant trying to make things work in Brooklyn. There time together didn't end as either would have envisioned, but Thompson wasn't holding any grudges that Durant chose to leave.
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