Detroit Pistons legend and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas credited Kevin Durant with saving the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty during a recent appearance on The Draymond Green Show. Speaking directly with Warriors forward Draymond Green, Thomas said Durant’s arrival shifted the narrative of the franchise and cemented its place in NBA history.
Thomas did not hold back when reflecting on Golden State’s trajectory before Durant joined the team in the summer of 2016.
“Let me make a bold statement here, and I hope this don’t upset you,” Thomas told Green. “Before Kevin Durant arrived in Golden State, y’all were on the verge of being remembered as the team that went 73-9 and lost to a Cleveland Cavaliers team in the Finals up 3-1 and probably one of the biggest collapses in NBA Finals history – from a 73-9 historical team. Kevin Durant comes that summer and really saves y’all basketball legacies, and you win two championships after that. And now the Golden State Warriors dynasty that you’re going to go in the Hall of Fame on and everything else is cemented because if Durant don’t come that summer and you guys are remembered as the 73-9 team that lost [up] 3-1 in the NBA Finals, all of your legacies are different.”
Durant signed with Golden State in free agency following the Warriors’ historic 73-9 regular season and their Finals defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. His addition created one of the most dominant cores in league history, alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Green.
Isiah Thomas believes Kevin Durant saved Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green basketball legacies
“Before KD arrived in Golden State y’all were on the verge of being remembered for one of the biggest collapses in NBA Finals history.”
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Isiah Thomas tells Draymond Green that Kevin Durant’s titles cemented Warriors’ dynasty
The move resulted in immediate success. Golden State went on to capture back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018, with Durant earning Finals MVP honors both years. The Warriors also reached the Finals in 2019, though injuries derailed their pursuit of a three-peat, as they lost to the Toronto Raptors.
Thomas’ comments reflect a long-running debate about how Durant’s decision to join Golden State impacted both his legacy and that of the Warriors. While some critics argued that Durant joined a ready-made contender, others have maintained that his presence elevated the team to an unprecedented level and ensured its dominance in the latter half of the decade.
For Green and his teammates, those years solidified their reputations as part of a modern NBA dynasty. Golden State’s four championships from 2015 to 2022, along with six Finals appearances in eight years, marked one of the most successful stretches in league history. Durant’s role in that run continues to be a defining subject of discussion.
Durant, now with the Houston Rockets following an offseason trade from the Phoenix Suns, remains a central figure in the NBA’s landscape. His time in Golden State remains one of the most scrutinized chapters of his career, but also one of the most decorated.
Thomas’ remarks underscore the pivotal nature of that era. Without Durant’s arrival, he suggested, the Warriors’ historic 73-9 season might have been overshadowed by their collapse in the 2016 Finals. Instead, the championships that followed have framed Golden State as one of the defining dynasties of the 21st century.
