Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers wanted to meet with Kevin Durant personally to hear his free agency decision because he felt their relationship had earned that.
Myers traveled to New York, where Durant informed him he was leaving the Warriors after three seasons to sign with the Brooklyn Nets.
“Here's what I wanted,” Myers told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami on The TK Show podcast, via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Some people I had seen write that he made me fly all the way out there. I enjoy sitting and looking at you. We had a relationship. I like hearing news. I don't think we do enough of this in life. Look at me and tell me what you're thinking. Good, bad, whatever. Let's do it that way.
“I think our relationship had earned that. So for me, even hearing that he wasn't coming back in person, I'd rather have that all day long. And I appreciated that. Some people will say ‘Well, you flew to New York to hear he wasn't coming back?' Absolutely. I'd fly to China to talk to him about what he wants to do. He earned that. He deserves that. I wanted that. It also gave me some closure, as far as to hear somebody, to see their body language and hear their conviction and hear all of it, was better for me than what, a text message or an Instagram announcement or a phone call. I don't want that. So I didn't know it until then.”
Kevin Durant signed a four-year deal with the Nets. The Warriors and Nets were able to agree upon a sign-and-trade deal. The Warriors acquired All-Star point guard D'Angelo Russell from Brooklyn.
Durant is widely expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season recovering from his Achilles tear. Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in July Golden State is going to retire Durant's No. 35 jersey.
With the Dubs, Durant won two Finals MVPs.
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