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Stephen Curry didn't land in time to pitch Kevin Durant on staying with the Warriors, but carried on with the trip to thank his teammate and friend.
- Kevin Durant is heading to the Brooklyn Nets in one of the biggest moves of the NBA offseason.
- According to Marcus Thompson II at The Athletic, Stephen Curry was on a plane from China to New York City to see Durant when the news of his move broke.
- Rather than cancel the trip, Curry carried on to New York to thank Durant for their time together and wish him well in the future.
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After winning two NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVP awards in three seasons, Kevin Durant is leaving the Golden State Warriors, joining the Brooklyn Nets along with Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan in a rush of signings to start this year's blockbuster free agency season.
Durant's move was one of the biggest questions looming over the 2019 offseason. He had long been rumored to be leaving the Warriors, but after his injury in the NBA Finals left him likely sidelined for the upcoming season, some thought there was a chance he would return to Golden State.
On Sunday, those hopes faded as Durant's move to the Nets became official. According to Marcus Thompson II at The Athletic, Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry was on a plane from China to New York City to see Durant when the news broke. But rather than cancel his trip, Curry carried on, now heading to New York not to pitch Durant on another year together, but to thank him for the three years they did spend as teammates.
"His trip to New York was seen as a last-ditch effort to keep Durant," wrote Thompson.
He continued:
"But Curry went to have one last moment with Durant as teammates. To tell him one more time how much he appreciated him for the three years they had. They'd won two championships together. Dominated the league together. Made history together. He was there to wish Durant happiness and peace, express his support for his decision. And when Curry got to Durant's apartment in Manhattan, Durant confirmed to Curry his decision that their time together was over. Face to face. Man to man. Friend to friend."
Durant and Curry's time as teammates was never smooth sailing - an odd fact for a pair that won two titles together in three years and were two freak injuries away from potentially winning a third.
But due to the circumstances of Durant's arrival in Golden State, which turned them from phenomenal, run-and-gun, perennial contenders to a superteam juggernaut, he and Curry were often pitted against each other - by fans, by the media, and by critics.
As Thompson goes on to explain, the relationship between the two never took off, as both players became teammates at different stages in life - Curry as the father of two daughters, and Durant a bachelor and in a new city for the first time.
Curry and Durant may no longer be teammates, but Curry's gesture shows the two still have a ton of respect for each other. And no matter how the next years of their careers play out, they'll always have those titles.
You can read Thompson's story in full here.
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