According to the Boston Herald, the breakdown behind the scenes with teams wanting Durrant ended up being Durrant liking the Cs but not the East, wouldn't have picked the Warriors if it wasn't for Jerry West, and seems like the whole time he wanted out of OKC because of Westbrook.
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the Clippers, despite the fact they would have to gut the club’s support players, were very much in the picture early after their talk with Durant, but pulled out when faced with the potential of losing some of their own key free agents.
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“He’s told people for a while that he likes that whole Celtics thing and the tradition and the way the people there are into the team — all the teams up there,” said a league source. “But I still think he was looking out West. The part I don’t know is how much the Horford signing made him stop and think again about Boston, but I think it had to be some.”
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Interestingly, some of the teams in the hunt were told that Durant was turned off by something he heard in the Warriors’ initial presentation.
“They were telling him about how they were going to win championships even if he didn’t come there,” said a coach. “I don’t think they came right out and said he wasn’t going to win if he didn’t sign with them — that would be crazy — but I was told that’s how he kind of took it.”
Said another source, a call from Warriors exec Jerry West smoothed over any issues Durant may have had.
“I think that was important,” he said. “I think Kevin was interested in Golden State big-time as the playoffs went on, but if he had any doubts, I think hearing from someone of Jerry West’s stature was important. When Jerry talks, you listen. Some young guys may not get how big a deal Jerry West is, but Kevin is a bright guy and he’s into the history of the game. He knows what Jerry West is to basketball.
“I think that (call) made him feel more comfortable about leaving OKC and coming to a team that was already great.”
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The club might also have had the idea that concerns in that area were a big part of why Durant was seriously thinking about leaving the Thunder in the first place. One person close to Durant and Russell Westbrook said their relationship is “kind of complicated.”
Said another Western source, “Look, KD and Russ are friends. They get along great off the court. They’re good guys. But Kevin feels like no one can control Russell when he’s on the court — not even Russell. Everyone sees it. It’s no secret. I think that’s been hard on Kevin. Russ is one of the top players in the game, but things have to fit.”
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http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/c...nt_sweepstakes
Been rumored the way the talks were going, if Durrant staid with the Thunder and signed a 2 year deal with an option after 1 year, Cs likely would have nabbed him next offseason. Horford deal came way too late to actually swing his decision this offseason.