Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Golden State Warriors in the summer of 2016 sent shockwaves through the NBA and instantly reshaped the league. Coming off a 73-win season, the Warriors added an all-time scorer to a core that already included Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. The result was a level of talent and spacing the league had rarely, if ever, seen. It wasn’t good news for LeBron James either.
Advertisement
That version of the Warriors produced two of the most dominant teams in NBA history, cruising to championships in 2017 and 2018. Durant was the Finals MVP both years, delivering dagger performances on the biggest stage. The Dubs did it against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers too, not once but twice in the Finals, winning both matchups decisively.
And while many called the Warriors a super-team, no one can deny they were a cohesive unit. LeBron fans are even madder because they assumed that James could have won two more rings with the Cavs had they not had to worry about the almighty Dubs. But he is not taking it too seriously, and neither is his agent, Rich Paul, who spoke about KD going to Golden State during a recent interview with Max Kellerman.
“I’m not mad at the Warriors going to get Kevin Durant because that’s a mindset,” claimed Paul. “People always look at the player and say, ‘They should have won.’ But yeah it takes two to tango. You can only win with what the front office and ownership allows you to play alongside of.”
Paul may have had to say that to save face for his client, but he does have a point. Nothing was stopping Cleveland, or any other franchise for that matter, from beefing up to combat the KD-led Dubs. In fact, it is why he gives Warriors owner Joe Lacob credit for opening up the checkbook.
Rich Paul doesn’t blame the Warriors front office for getting Kevin Durant
“I’m not mad at Warriors for Kevin Durant. That’s a mindset. You can only win with what the front office allows you to play along side of… Joe Lacob wants to win everything. Bob Myers also wants to win…… pic.twitter.com/Tv4a2Bxnq6
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) December 12, 2025
“If you know Joe Lacob, who’s my guy, Joe Lacob’s mindset is he wants to win. Preseason game? He wants to win. Summer League game? He wants to win. Every playoff game, ‘I want that guy,'” added Paul.
It’s not wrong for an owner to want to lift up the Larry O’Brien every year. That’s the same hunger that Dr. Buss and Red Auerbach (former bosses at the Lakers and the Celtics respectively) had back in the 80s.
“Bob Myers, he also wants to win,” added Paul, referring to the Warriors former General Manager. “So you now what? Yeah, this is chess, it’s not checkers. Go and get Kevin Durant. If they could have got Kevin Durant and whoever else, they would have.”
Certain circles have rewritten the 2017 and 2018 Warriors as a team that should have never existed. A cheat code. Playing adult ball with kids. But the truth is that simply putting a bunch of top-tier superstars on one team does not always work. If that were the case, why did the KD, Westbrook, and Harden Thunder never win a Finals? How about KD, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden on the Nets? What about the 2025 Clippers? Team chemistry is what is unbeatable, not just names on a roster.
So no matter what the haters say, Durant joining Golden State was not some glitch in the system. It was the system working exactly as designed. Fans can debate fairness all they want, but championships do not come with asterisks, and banners do not care about feelings.
The KD Warriors were not just overwhelming on paper. They were connected, precise, and ruthless when it mattered. That is why, years later, they are remembered not as a mistake, but as one of the greatest teams basketball has ever seen.
