Kevin Durant didn't just spurn Oklahoma City fans when he signed with the Warriors, but he also left his former teammate Russell Westbrook in the dust.
Durant bolted the Thunder on a two-year, $54.3 millon contract to join Stephen Curry on the Warriors and make a super team appear even more formidable. After winning the NBA Finals in 2013-14, Golden State won an NBA-record 73 games this regular season before falling to the Cavaliers in seven games in the NBA Finals.
The former Thunder star addressed his relatonship with Westbrook and revealed it may be changed forever now that he bolted Oklahoma City.
"Obviously, our relationship probably won't ever be the same again," Durant told reporters via The Score. on Wednesday. "But it's something that I wanted to do, and I expressed that to him. Hopefully he respected it."
After helping to bring the Thunder to within one game of the NBA Finals this past season, Durant has assumed a villainous role throughout the league for the perception he took the easy way out. He's getting used to his new stigma.
"It's difficult, because I'm not used to this much attention, but I'm getting used to it," he said. "Obviously, people don't like me right now, but it is what it is. I can't please them all.
"I've gotta go out there and still handle my business. They're not gonna get up at 9 o'clock in the morning and work on my game. I've gotta do all that on my own. I can't really worry about people on the outside and the noise that's going on, because I've got to go to sleep at night, and I've got to get up, and I've gotta perform. I've gotta do all that stuff, so it is what it is. Once we start playing the games, I'll feel a little bit better. Right now, it's definitely a change."
Durant, 27, has previously spent his entire nine-year career with the Thunder after being drafted in the second round by them back when they were the SuperSonics based in Seattle.
The 2014 MVP and seven-time All-Star has averaged 27.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game throughout his career.
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