The Fourth of July is more than just hot dogs and fireworks in OKC. It also serves as a harsh anniversary for the first true heartbreak Oklahoma City Thunder fans experienced.
This year’s summer holiday is the eighth anniversary of Kevin Durant’s departure from the Thunder to the heated-rivals Golden State Warriors.
Roughly a month after the Warriors served a dagger at Thunder fans’ hearts with a 3-1 comeback in the Western Conference Finals, they also stole away their franchise icon.
The move had so-so long-term results for Durant. Sure, he immediately won a pair of championships with the Warriors, but that likely didn’t have the results he’d hoped it had on his perception.
He’s been a wonderless legend since. He joined the Brooklyn Nets and that was an epic failure. His time with the Phoenix Suns is well on its way to a similar result.
Nonetheless, his decision to leave left the Thunder in disarray for the rest of the offseason.
Durant’s exit torpedoed the Thunder’s contending window, much to their resistance. They tried for a few years with Russell Westbrook but never reached the heights the average KD squad did.
They enjoyed some competitive seasons in the aftermath but the seven-footer’s shadow hovered over Paycom Center for years.
They only truly escaped it this past season when the Thunder won their first playoff series since 2016 — Durant’s final season in OKC.
As the Thunder are in the infancy stages of another lengthy contention window manned by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, enough time has passed to avoid any hard feelings to cloud their judgment from the previous iteration.
Recent years have seen Durant somewhat reconcile with the Thunder. He’s spoken fondly of his time in OKC. The 35-year-old has had countless instances of being complimentary of what they’ve built.
It appears the fences have been mended a bit between the two parties. That might be a bridge too far for some Thunder fans, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be a happy compromise of their thoughts on his tenure in OKC.
The reactions from Thunder fans in 2016 were extreme. But who’s to blame them? It was the first cold reminder that showed professional leagues operate much differently than college sports.
The passionate Oklahoma and Oklahoma State fans quickly realized the clock is always ticking for NBA superstars — even in the background. There’s no guarantee a player will wait it out with a single franchise. In…
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