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The Athletic‘s Marcus Thompson dropped a bombshell when he published a piece late Tuesday night that provided clarity to the ongoing Kevin Durant-Draymond Green fued. Out of the many revealing tidbits within Thompson’s story, perhaps the most meaningful came in a comment from an anonymous player forecasting Durant’s future with the Warriors.
“With what was said, there is already no way Durant is coming back,” the player told Thompson. “The only hope is that they can say this summer, ‘See, KD. We’ve got your back. We protected you from Draymond.’”
All of this stems from Golden State’s 121-116 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers Monday night. With the score tied in regulation, the clock winding down, Green snagged a rebound from Durant, pushed the ball up the court, and fumbled the ball away as time expired. Durant was visibly frustrated that Green did not pass him the ball for the final shot.
Emotions spilled over in the huddle during a timeout in overtime. Cameras captured Durant and Green going at it. DeMarcus Cousins eventually stepped in to calm Green down. Multiple reports, including Thompson’s, say Green called Durant a “b****” multiple times, part of a tirade that the coaching staff and front office felt crossed the line. The organization suspended Green without pay in Tuesday’s 110-103 win over the visiting Atlanta Hawks. Thompson points out that move underscores the front office’s decision to side with Durant, with the idea of retaining him for future years in mind.
Various details of the encounter had been reported, but Thompson’s piece provided dozens of previously unknown facts. One of the chief points Thompson made, which explains Green’s outburst: Durant’s impending free agency has loomed over this teammates. Thompson says Green’s frustration spilled out when Durant got on him for the late-game miscue Monday night. Durant is expected to opt out of his current deal at the conclusion of the season to sign a super-max contract.
Thompson poses the overarching question: will the demise of this dynasty start with a meaningless November game?
Read Thompson’s full story here.
