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Nobody has to tell you that Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant is an immense talent. Nearly seven feet tall with the ability to handle the rock, knock down shots from all over the court and dominate games with his unique combination of length, skill and athleticism, Durant has won two NBA championships and two Finals MVPs in back-to-back seasons.
However, despite his stellar play, Durant finds himself in a position few players of his caliber have been in. That of the heel. A player that fans nearly universally disliked. A player basking in the hate but obviously troubled by the lack of love.
It wasn't always this way for Durant though. When the Seattle SuperSonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder) selected him with the second pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Durant was a lanky kid from Seat Peasant, Maryland who just completed his lone season at the University of Texas.
The outspoken, braggadocios version of Durant that exists today developed over time; he was at one point content to be quiet but life in the NBA led to Durant needing to be more vocal as a leader. Now, Durant uses his voice to make his present felt, no matter how you may feel about him.
Or his betrayal of the Oklahoma City Thunder and their fan base. Betrayal seems like a strong word but, by definition, that's exactly what it was when Kevin Durant left the Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
The question of whether Durant had a right to leave the Thunder to sign with any team he chose isn't an issue. However, within the context of what his team and the fan base believes, Durant wronged a group of people who had grown close to him over the years. In what appeared to be nothing but a positive relationship with the organization and his teammates from the exterior, Durant seemed to be a part of a family unit.
The relationship might not have been as pronounced as LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers because of the but after spending eight seasons in Oklahoma City, Durant's departure in 2016 was similar to James' departure from the Cavs in 2010 in terms of the number of years he spent with the franchise before leaving and the amount of individual success he enjoyed in that time.
James spent seven years with the Cleveland Cavaliers before joining the Miami Heat in 2010. By that time, James had led the Cavs to five playoff appearances, including two trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and one trip to the NBA Finals. He also was selected to six All-Star teams after winning Rookie of the Year.
In Durant's eight years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he led the Thunder to six playoff appearances, including four trips to the Western Conference Finals and one trip to the NBA Finals. He was selected to six All-Star teams after winning Rookie of the Year.
There's no “hometown kid” factor for Durant but their impacts on their respective franchise were enormous. That said, their departures wouldn't have led to them being seen so negatively had they chosen better ways to announce their decisions.
James' “The Decision” is infamous for the vitriol is spawned in 2010. Durant's announcement in The Player's Tribune was fine in and of itself but the fact that there were reports Durant told members of the teammates he was returning to the Thunder before Durant's announcement didn't set well with the Thunder fan base.
Nor did Durant leaving the Thunder to join a team seen as the best in the NBA but one that they had nearly defeated in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, and handily. That final factor, that of leaving the Thunder to join the team they were attempting to dethrone, is the primary reason that Durant's decision was seen as betrayal.
(Merriam-Webster defines “betrayal” as “violation of a person's trust or confidence, of a moral standard, etc.”)
Though Durant would have you believe that he doesn't care what anyone thinks about him or his decision, actions like creating a burner account on Twitter and responding to disgruntled fans on social media seems to say otherwise. He wants to be liked and it's only human nature. Just as it's only human nature to want to be able to make decisions freely and without judgement.
That said, with Durant set to be a free agent in 2019, it's possible that a return to the Thunder franchise — a move similar to James' return to the Cavaliers in 2014 — would be the key to Durant's redemption. As a move of goodwill, an apology to the fan base could do wonders with or without a free agency move too.
With the Seattle City Council approving $700 million worth of renovations for KeyBank Arena, Durant's involvement in bringing the SuperSonics franchise back to Seattle could be what endears him to basketball fans on a national level.
Seattle, Washington is a city with a rich basketball history, having been the host to the Seattle SuperSonics for 41 years. Notable NBA players like Jamal Crawford, Brandon Roy, Doug Christie and Isaiah Thomas hail from Seattle and much like Durant's hometown, have had hoopers that have made a large impact in the league. Bringing the NBA back to Seattle could inspire the next generation of Seattle-bred players in what could be a hotbed of talent.
There's no clear path to redemption for Durant but Seattle or Oklahoma City hold the keys. If he wants to take them.
