One of the most controversial trades in NBA history is Kevin Durant’s 2016 choice to join the Golden State Warriors, who were coming off a 73-win regular season at the time.
Despite the competitive imbalance it caused across the Association for a few years, it appears that Durant wasn’t even sure he wanted to establish the sport’s most skilled team during his free agency process. At least, they didn’t start doing it until future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady recommended it.
Rich Kleiman, Durant’s manager and business partner, recently appeared on Showtime’s “All the Smoke,” where he discussed the hectic negotiations that took place in the Hamptons. The Boston Celtics, among the several clubs interested in signing Durant that offseason, hired Brady to make their case to the 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player.
It seems, though, that the former Patriots quarterback provided Durant some other advice, telling him to join the team that would give him the best shot of winning a title.
I can still recall the arrival of the Celtics. So, the owners of the Celtics, Danny Ainge, Jae Crowder, and perhaps Kelly Olynyk were all there, and then Tom Brady walked in,” Kleiman remembered. So I was like, ‘Oh, s—, they’re trying to even the playing field,’ and that’s encouraging.
Kleiman said, “So I suppose [Brady and Durant] went on a stroll together. As time went on, KD reflected on what he had been taught: “So he told me, bottom line, search for the greatest team, best organization, best opportunity to win, regardless of the circumstances. It sounds like Brady urged me to go see the Warriors, dude.
During the Durant era, Golden State went 228-78 (.780) overall and in the playoffs, reached the NBA Finals three times, and won back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018. The Warriors may have won three consecutive titles if Kevin Durant hadn’t sustained serious calf and Achilles injuries during their final postseason run together in 2019.
Bostonians may feel betrayed by Brady’s recommendation that Durant play elsewhere, but it’s not surprising that he would propose going where the team had the best chance of winning. Of course, in 2020, Brady followed his own advice and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, where quarterback went on to win his seventh Super Bowl.
