Superstar NBA free agent Kevin Durant announced Monday that he is signing with the Golden State Warriors.
That decision could have been made more clear because of a phone call Durant reportedly received Saturday. It came from legendary former player and executive Jerry West, who talked to the seven-time all-star about the benefits of joining Golden State.
Durant has also had meetings in recent days with the Clippers, Spurs, Celtics and Heat. However, if reports are accurate, his choice came down to The Thunder, the only organization for which he has played as a pro, or the team that came back from a 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference finals to knock off his Oklahoma City squad.
For months, many NBA observers have believed that Durant would return to the Thunder, if only for one more season. That would give him one last chance to pursue a championship in his 10th season with the team, and it would allow him to re-enter free agency in 2017, when fellow OKC superstar Russell Westbrook is also set to hit the open market.
However, the Warriors offered the allure of playing alongside Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and other members of a team that has won the West the past two seasons and set an NBA record this year with 73 regular season wins. Golden State then fell in seven games to the champion Cleveland Cavaliers, meaning that Durant could see himself as the puzzle piece it lacked.
Durant has been with the Thunder ever since the franchise selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2007 draft when the team was still the Seattle SuperSonics.