According to new reports, Kevin Durant had a very though time deciding whether or not he should leave the Oklahoma City Thunder. In fact, he was so close to re-signing with the team that he almost bought a new house in OKC.
Ever since Durant announced that he will join the Golden State Warriors, people had been criticizing him for leaving OKC. He has also been dubbed as the new villain of the NBA due to his decision to join the super-team.
But, as previously noted by Durant, making that decision was not easy for him. He had to seriously think about a lot of factors. In the end though, it all boiled down to what's best for his career as a professional basketball player.
In other words, leaving OKC was not easy for him. After all, he spent eight years playing for this franchise. But, when the free agency season rolled in, everything seemed to change.
Although he received offers from various teams, it was always expected that Durant will re-sign with the Thunder. And, according to ESPN, Durant thought that this was the case too.
He also strongly believed that he will continue playing for the OKC that he almost bought a house in a suburb of the city.
"He assured people he was coming back," ESPN's Royce Young stated. "Even the week before he took off for the Hamptons, he was in Nichols Hills, a suburb of Oklahoma City, seriously looking to but a multi-million dollar home."
"The Thunder had every reason to believe he was going to stay to finish what he started," he added.
Unfortunately though, Durant made a decision that OKC obviously did not like. And, to make matters worse, Young noted that since the team was so sure it will retain Durant, it built a lineup that revolved around the athlete.
Maybe this is the reason why there have been so many rumors about Russell Westbrook wanting to leave the team. Maybe he viewed Durant as the main pillar that supports the team. But with him gone, there's a strong chance that the Thunder will crumble next season.
