The Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trail Blazers Monday night to complete the sweep. The Warriors are looking for their fourth NBA title in five years. But the center of this story is it's been without their star player, Kevin Durant.

The talk around town has been centered on whether Durant is of value to the Warriors, or is he just a luxury. But if there's any indication based on the information released recently, we may have an inside track into what Durant believes his value is to the team.

A report surfaced over the weekend, via Newsday, centering on Kevin Durant's potential exit to the New York Knicks. In that report, however, came a possible reason for why he wants to come out East: he's tired of the “prodding” from Steve Kerr and feels that no matter what he does or how he accomplishes them, he will never be the team's centerpiece.

“One front office executive said that Durant has been unhappy with the prodding from Steve Kerr and the feeling that he never can be—no matter how great he performs and how many individual honors he compiles—the centerpiece of a team that holds Steph Curry in the hearts of the franchise,” Steve Popper of Newsday wrote.

If this indeed is true, Durant becomes conflicting and paradoxical, but human nonetheless. Durant has grown accustomed to being the Warriors focal point whenever their offensive system breaks down. But when he signed on to play for the Warriors, it's hard to imagine that he had an agenda to be the face of the franchise.

Curry was fresh off becoming the first unanimous MVP in league history and was becoming the face of the new pace-and-space era of basketball. It appeared from afar Durant went there to become an explosive piece to their system while benefiting from their championship culture. Schematically, he fit right in easily.

But that very culture he wanted to be a part of is the same culture that's carrying on without him. The Warriors are currently playing the way they played pre-Durant. Ball movement, cuts, screens, and extra passes are the priority. While having Durant as a scoring option is great, the Warriors offense just plays differently when Durant is out. In theory, you would figure Durant would be thinking the same.

But in the Durant era, the Warriors had to bend their offensive philosophy to fit the needs of Durant. Durant's scoring excursions can lead the Warriors astray on offense, but it works nonetheless. This time, Durant is watching this same Warriors team that needed his talents to bail them out against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier in the postseason win without him. Apparently, Durant has felt some type of way about it. And the reports point to Durant thinking the Warriors view him as just a luxury for a while.

But you would feel he should be happy the Warriors are taking care of business. Based on the circumstances on why he signed to Golden State, Durant should be the happiest person in the world. The one wish that he asked for at Oklahoma City: balance, is being showcased. The team isn't soundly defeating opponents, but they are just fine without him. That's because he signed to a team that had three star players in Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green who could more than help Durant out on the floor.

Success and money don't change you, it just makes you more of who you are. Evidently, Durant's intent on signing with the Warriors is signaling insecurity within himself. Apparently, Durant has grown accustomed to the media believing that the team should be centered around him. Accolade wise, he's not far off.

He's become a main factor in the Warriors winning the last two NBA titles and receiving the Finals MVP in both. But maybe the reasoning of joining a team that gave him balance was just a smokescreen. Maybe he figured he would take advantage of the perceived niceness of Curry and Thompson? If so, he had the wrong perception this entire time.

The truth is this has and always will be Steph Curry's team. If Durant's thinking during the Warriors last few games without him was anything but elated, then that's something that he must solve within himself.

But over time, Durant's behavior, whether online or offline makes this report no coincidence. Durant now has everything he looked to achieve. But it doesn't matter if he scored 60 points a game and bends Kerr's scheme unrecognizable. This is Steph's team, and will always be.

So, conventional wisdom should make us feel that Durant is elated the Warriors took care of business without him. But Durant has a lot more accolades to his name and perhaps wanted the Warriors to starve without him. Instead, they reverted back to their pre-Durant ways. Curry the offensive fulcrum, Thompson dominating off screens, Draymond Green a walking basketball tour de force. This style the Warriors have played with centers on selflessness and it has translated to completely revolutionizing the game. Could be hard for Durant to be around that if he's thinking the contrary. Hence, why the reports of Durant to New York is heating up.

But in 2016, this is what Durant perceived to asked for and received. Joy and happiness is a hallmark of the Warriors culture, and after nine years in Oklahoma City, something Durant probably wanted. However, if Durant isn't thinking and feeling the way Curry, Thompson and the rest of the Warriors are, then maybe New York is the best place for him after all. There, he can get all the attention that he always wanted.

As for the Warriors, their system is showing us and Durant, that they will survive. With, or without him.