Kevin Durant says he never promised Russell Westbrook he would stay in OKC
The Golden State Warriors superstar said he never promised anybody anything
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1 min read
Kevin Durant never promised anybody anything about his free agency, the Golden State Warriors superstar told The Vertical's Shams Charania on Thursday, refuting remarks from ESPN's Royce Young that Young has already said shouldn't have been taken literally. Durant said he met with longtime teammates Russell Westbrook and Nick Collison before he chose to join the Warriors, but he did not tell them he was going to re-sign in Oklahoma City.
From The Vertical:
"It's false," Durant told The Vertical on Thursday. "I didn't say that - words about me telling Russell or Nick that I would stay or leave never came out of my mouth. We met as teammates, but no promises came out of it. In this day and age, I can't control anything people claim out there. Someone can go out and say something random right now, and people will believe it.
"I never told Russell or Nick [Collison], 'All right, guys, I'm coming back to the Thunder' - and then a week later, I decide not to. Never happened. I don't operate like that. I heard people say that story, but it's not the truth."
In a quiet corner before USA Basketball's practice at the United Center, Durant admitted he has heard - and refutes - the perception that he turned his back on Westbrook and his former Thunder teammates. "There were never promises given in a meeting before July," he told The Vertical. "I went through the process."
It would have been completely crazy for Durant to commit to the Thunder before free agency, so it's funny that he even has to comment on this. I mean, would he really have deflected questions about his future for a year and a half, set up meetings with several teams and then -- just before he was free to make the biggest professional decision in his life -- tell people in Oklahoma City that he had already made up his mind? That does not make sense.
What does make sense is that it was difficult for Durant to leave, and that many people in the Thunder organization, Westbrook included expected him to stay right up until the moment that he was gone. That is what ESPN initially reported, and that does not make Durant a liar or a traitor. This is simply what happens with free agents all the time.
