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Isiah Thomas tells Draymond Green that Kevin Durant ‘saved’ Warriors’ legacy when he came in 2016

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Joseph Varghese | Last updated 3/13/24

The two NBA Championships Kevin Durant won during his time with the Golden State Warriors have stuck to his legacy. However, there are many who do not give Durant credit for those titles. NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas tells Durant’s former teammate Draymond Green that Durant saved the Golden State Warriors’ legacy when he joined them.

Thomas was speaking on Green‘s podcast, The Draymond Green Show. During the closing segments they were talking about Kevin Durant and his time at the Golden State Warriors.

Before Kevin Durant arrived at Golden State, and then remembered as the team that went 73-9 and lost to the Cleveland Cavalier team in the Finals. Probably one of the biggest collapse in NBA Finals history. Kevin Durant comes that summer and really saves y'all basketball legacy... If Durant don't come that summer and you guys are remembered as the 73-9 team, all of your legacies are different. Thomas added this to the conversation

Thomas added that Green, and the Warriors were facing a nosediving future. The Cleveland Cavaliers led by LeBron James had shown the world how to beat the Warriors.

Kevin Durant coming in that summer changed the landscape of basketball. His arrival prompted back-to-back NBA titles against the same Cleveland Cavaliers. Now the NBA world did not know how to beat the Warriors in the playoffs. Durant’s arrival gave their opponents multiple headaches.

"If Durant don't come that summer and you guys are remembered as the 73-9 team, all of your legacies are different"

—@IsiahThomas tells @Money23Green the impact @KDTrey5 had for the Warriors pic.twitter.com/pO8C1TpisU
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 12, 2024

Injuries derailed Durant’ chances of a 3-peat during his final year with the Warriors. Isiah Thomas alluded that Durant’s contributions has its significance in the legacies of Green and his fellow superstars on the Warriors. They may not have been 4-time champions and surefire Hall of Famers without Durant.

How Kevin Durant’s arrival propelled the Golden State Warriors dynasty

Durant announced during the summer of 2016 that he will sign with the Golden State Warriors. Before that, the Warriors had just lost the 2016 NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James led his hometown team to win against the Warriors and showed the world that the Warriors are not invincible despite posting the best season in league history.

Durant’s arrival brought a different dimension to the Warriors attack. Earlier, as Green mentioned during this podcast, he and Stephen Curry had the most dangerous pick-and-roll attack in the league. Now, with Kevin Durant in the lineup, the offense had spread even more. Durant alongside Klay Thompson used the Warriors overmatched offense to easily beat teams.

This is why Isiah Thomas suggested that Kevin Durant changed the game of basketball with his arrival. Without his contributions, Draymond Green and his fellow Warriors superstars would not be possible first-ballot Hall of Famers.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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