The Golden State Warriors have relied on the incredible talents of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green to attain great success in the NBA.
They have won four NBA Championships since 2015 while making six trips to the Finals.
Although the trio has received the praise for the Warriors’ phenomenal run, one player who holds a crucial place in the team’s modern-era legacy is none other than Kevin Durant.
Durant’s controversial move to the Warriors in 2016 has led to the value of his contributions being diminished over the years.
However, Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas recently gave Durant his flowers for saving the Warriors’ legacy, via The Volume.
“If Durant don’t come that summer and you guys are remembered as the 73-9 team, all of your legacies are different,” Thomas said when speaking with Green.
"If Durant don't come that summer and you guys are remembered as the 73-9 team, all of your legacies are different"
—@IsiahThomas tells @Money23Green the impact @KDTrey5 had for the Warriors pic.twitter.com/pO8C1TpisU
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 12, 2024
Durant is generally criticized for joining the Warriors after the organization attained the best-ever record in the history of the NBA.
However, one cannot forget that the 73-9 Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Thomas mentioned that the legacies of Curry, Thompson, and Green could have been different if it weren’t for Durant’s arrival on the team.
The Warriors made the NBA Finals from 2017 to 2019 while winning two titles in the process.
If the Warriors had failed to win multiple championships after losing against the Cavaliers, it would have left a huge stain on their legacies.
Despite playing a pivotal role for the Warriors during his stint with the team, Durant has failed to win an NBA Championship ever since.
On the other hand, the Warriors won another title in 2022 during the post-Durant era.
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