It seems all we can associate with star players these days is whether or not they’ll join or make a super team. There’s one group that includes guys like LeBron James, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard who move to other teams to shift the narrative or increase their odds of winning an NBA championship. Another group of players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, and Nikola Jokic, on the other hand, would rather stay with their teams through thick and thin.
The superstar spotlight today is on Kevin Durant. He’s now part of a new powerhouse with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. A generational talent and an all-time great, KD has cemented himself in basketball history. However, he’s also moved teams multiple times throughout his career to find the right place to call home.
Let’s take a look back at the super teams that Kevin Durant built, joined, and left.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant’s first Big 3 was not built by signing and trading but was built through the draft. After OKC picked KD second overall in 2007, they got Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka in the 2008 draft with the fourth and 24th pick, respectively, before adding James Harden as the third overall pick in 2009. Those were three future MVPs and one future All-Defense First Team member.
It was in OKC where we saw what Kevin Durant could potentially become. He was a 4-time scoring champion, a 7-time All-Star, an All-Star MVP in 2012, and a regular season MVP in 2014. It was evident that KD would be the face of the league. A lot of people felt that this team failed to reach their potential as they only made one NBA Finals appearance in 2012 as Harden departed for Houston the following offseason. People forget that this team was only really together for three years when they were all still young players.
Golden State Warriors
KD’s move to the Bay shocked the NBA. Durant finally had enough with OKC after nine seasons and joined the 73-9 Golden State Warriors, who had eliminated the Thunder in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. The KD-infused Warriors went to the NBA Finals for three straight years, winning two championships.
In GSW, Durant was unlocked more as an off-ball threat. In the early years with OKC, he had the ball more in his hands as Harden was coming off the bench. In the latter years, he was really only sharing the ball with Westbrook. When he was in Golden State, he had to submit himself to the offense, which involved a lot of ball and man movement, which led to his lowest scoring average since his first two years in the league. The upside came in the form of increased offensive efficiency, increased defensive stats, and decreased turnovers. This is also where he won two NBA titles and two finals MVP trophies. That number should have been easily three if they hadn’t been struck by the injury bug in their final year together.
Brooklyn Nets
After his run on the West Coast, he moved to the East and decided to put his GM cap on. First, he recruited Kyrie Irving to join him. Second, he demanded the hiring and firing of head coach Steve Nash. Third, he made sure that Brooklyn traded for and then traded away James Harden. This was the first time that KD created a super team rather than joining one. Some would say the Brooklyn experiment failed. They spent all that money, failed to make it to the NBA Finals, and gutted their future, but people forget they were actually pretty close to winning.
Durant was basically half a foot size away from going to the NBA Finals. This team was also plagued with injuries to Kyrie and Harden - they only shared the court for a bit in their time together. KD also increased his overall production and efficiency across the board compared to his days in GSW and OKC. However, in Brooklyn, he played the least amount of games per season in his career. KD probably realized two things: one, super teams cannot just be built to win and need time together, and two, playing LeGM like LeBron is more challenging than it seems.
Phoenix Suns
Durant probably missed the West Coast weather as he once again demanded a trade late last season to join the Suns, who were just two years removed from reaching the NBA Finals. He joined a core of Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Ayton. It was here in PHX we saw KD slowly take a backseat. He was still clearly playing at a high level, but now deferring more to DBook. KD was more focused on making the right basketball play rather than going out and hunting his shot, which people could interpret as part of his maturity.
However, the Suns were eliminated once again in the Western Conference semifinals. After an early exit, the organization fired Monty Williams and traded for Bradley Beal in exchange for CP3 and other players.
If you ask me which KD version is my favorite, it would have to be Golden State KD. It was the most complete form of Kevin Durant where he played within the system, won a ring, and still showed that he was the Slim Reaper. He seemed happy to finally enjoy both individual and team success. However, each of his departures always led to a bad divorce of sorts between him and the team. Only time will tell if Phoenix becomes his final home or if he still has one more move in him.
