Kevin Durant Did OKC Thunder a Favor by Leaving for Golden State Warriors Now

Kevin Durant is not a hero for joining the Golden State Warriors—not outside of Oakland, California, anyway. He did, however, give the Oklahoma City Thunder one thing: clarity.

Unpopular offseason decisions can often be twisted, turned and spun into something they are not. Durant’s departure is an exception. 

There is no replacing him, immediately or eventually. There is no overcoming his absence. Russell Westbrook, on his own, is considerable consolation and Oklahoma City’s ticket to fringe playoff contention. In the rush to condemn Durant’s character and competitive integrity, though, a key silver lining has fallen by the wayside: If this had to happen, it’s better for the Thunder it happened now rather than next summer.

Most people expected Durant to stick with Oklahoma City on a one-plus-one deal that would have set him up to re-explore free agency in 2017. That consensus made too much sense at the time, both financially and logistically, as ESPN.com’s Marc Stein wrote:

Going short term this summer would not only keep the pressure on the Thunder to keep upgrading their roster to Durant’s satisfaction, but also set up KD and Russ to potentially share simultaneous exits to new locales in 13 months’ time if they so choose, presumably easing the emotional toll (and resulting heat) for both in the process.

The financial particulars, meanwhile, only make it a wiser course of action. Were Durant to be a free agent again in July 2017, coming off his 10th season, he’d be eligible for a projected starting annual salary in excess of $35 million — compared to a projected $25.9 million this summer — because of service time and the looming mammoth salary-cap spike into the $100 million stratosphere that will take hold for the 2017-18 season.

The financial incentives alone rendered this a worthwhile play for Durant. In addition to entering free agency amid another salary-cap spike, he would still be with the team that owned his Bird rights, making him eligible for a five-year deal that, per Stein, might have exceeded $200 million.

Oklahoma City’s latest playoff push only made the one-year return more sensible. In the Thunder’s first complication-free season since 2011-12, when they made the NBA Finals, they finished one win shy of another Finals bid, nearly overthrowing perhaps the best team ever in the Warriors.

Even after the Serge Ibaka trade, Durant had ample cause to run it back with Oklahoma City for another year, if only to see what he and Westbrook could accomplish when enjoying consecutive years of good health.

Except what would that have really done? Prolong the inevitable? Actualize a scenario in which the Thunder lose both Durant and Westbrook for nothing?

Now, they get out in front of Westbrook’s future. That wouldn’t have been an option had Durant delayed his decision. The Thunder would have retained both and rolled the dice on their returns next summer.

Durant isn’t a flight risk you trade, not even …

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