KD is Not Happy, Again

It seems like Kevin Durant is once again upset with his current team. Let’s discuss.

I adore KD. He is one of my favorite basketball players of all time. I love his form on his shot. He developed during his career as a defender. He can be vicious when he wants to attack the rim. He is a good rebounder. And he may be the most accommodating superstar player of all time. Every time he changes teams, he fits like a glove. I just wanted to get that all out there before proceeding.

The anger KD showed the other day towards Mike Budenholzer, during a game the Suns won by the way, makes it seem like wants out of there. Keep in mind, Phoenix was the only team he was willing to be traded to when he forced his way out of Brooklyn. Also, Brooklyn was his preferred destination when he left the Warriors after winning two titles. Oh yeah, he joined the 72-10 Warriors after his Thunder led team couldn't close out a series against them. And, as you all know, KD started his career in OKC. Durant did a ton in Seattle/OKC. He won an MVP. He led them to the Finals. He and Russell Westbrook and James Harden made the Thunder a viable championship caliber team. He was fantastic in his time with OKC. I liked him so much that it was easy to to shift my fandom to the Thunder after the NBA took them from Seattle.

The playoff series in 2016 changed everything. When KD decided to sign with an unbeatable team I decided it was time for me to switch to the Grizzlies. I just couldn't root for a player that went to the Death Star. That Warriors team was unbeatable and it kind of made the three seasons he was there pointless. We all knew who was going to win. I know KD got two rings and two Finals MVP's. I understand that they would have had a third had he and Klay Thompson not gotten hurt. But it felt hollow to me as an NBA fan. The decision to sign there didn't make a ton of sense to me, I guess he wanted the rings, but it was a head scratcher. I guess he heard all the noise from people saying that it wasn't his team, which it is not, the Warriors will always be Steph Curry's team, because he left and went to Brooklyn. The Nets signed Kyrie Irving, and KD wanted to play with him, so he signed there. He didn't play all year one, but after getting Kyrie and KD, the Nets eventually got James Harden. And when the three of them were on the floor together they were really, really good. They could have made a run to a title, but Giannis and the Bucks had other ideas. Then Kyrie decided he wanted out and wouldn't get vaccinated. Then James Harden wanted out. I guess KD was fed up, so he told the Nets they had to get rid of the coach and GM. He was burning every bridge left and right. He would say all these things on the record. It became enough that the Nets relented and said they would trade him. While KD only wanted Phoenix, the Nets were open to every team. But KD was so enthralled with Phoenix that he forced both teams' hands. The Nets traded KD for Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges and a bunch of picks. Neither team did much after that in that one season, but the Suns were favorites going into the next year. But KD, Chris Paul and Devin Booker couldn't really make it happen. They would get bullied early in the playoffs by one team and be out. And then, prior to last season, CP3 left and Booker and KD pushed for the Suns to get Brad Beal. The Suns did, essentially mortgaging their future, and acquired Beal for a ton of picks and some random players. This hasn't worked out either. One of KD or Beal is always hurt. The defense is horrendous. The Suns pay their top three guys so much money that they can only get players on the low end of the market to fill out the roster. They fired their coach last year and brought in a proven head coach in Budenholzer. Well, that isn't working now either. The Suns sit at 11th place in the West. They're five games below .500. Bradley Beal is hurt again. And during the trade deadline there were rumors that KD was available. I guess that didn't sit well with him, so now it appears he wants out of Phoenix.

As much as I love the guy, the one common denominator in all of this is him. He wanted out of OKC for rings so he joined the Warriors. He felt underappreciated in Golden State so he opted to go to Brooklyn. The Nets didn't live up to the hype so he forced his way to Phoenix. And now he is unhappy once again. At this point I don't know who would be willing to give up the massive amount it will take to get him. He is also in his mid 30's, which is older than you want your star player to be at this point. I fear that KD, who will go down as one of the all time greats, isn't going to get the love he thinks he deserves because he constantly blames others when a problem occurs. It's never his fault and his one option is to up and leave. I don't know. Again, I am a big fan of his game, it is just all the whining and complaining when he is met with resistance or isn't shown appreciation how he wants. I'm still rooting for him, but this constant need to be praised and be traded is getting a little boring. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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