Kevin Durant hits back at Charles Barkley comments, says ex-Warriors chief should be blamed instead

Barkley targets superstar behavior that led to restrictive salary cap changes

The Hall of Famer specifically pointed to superteam formations that dominated the league.

LeBron teamed with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, while Durant joined Stephen Curry’s Warriors dynasty.

Barkley believes the behavior of superstars wanting to play together and dominate the league forced the NBA to set financial rules minimizing superteam formation.

The second apron represents the league’s attempt to restore competitive balance through salary restrictions.

His argument suggests that player empowerment and ring-chasing behavior ultimately hurt the sport’s competitive integrity, requiring intervention from league officials.

Durant deflects responsibility to Warriors executives and contract structure

Kevin Durant hit back after hearing Barkley’s comments that blamed players for the rule changes.

The superstar pointed out the ‘mistake’ wasn’t on the players but rather on team executives.

Durant specifically blamed Bob Myers, the Warriors general manager when he joined the team.

“Ooh since we’re playing the blame game, I select Bob Myers as the fall guy,” Durant wrote.

Durant actually agreed to a team-friendly two-year contract worth about $53 million rather than demanding the full maximum salary.

This sacrifice helped Golden State maintain their championship core while adding his talent.

However, if the second apron existed then, signing Durant would have been nearly impossible unless he took a massive pay cut or the Warriors dismantled their roster.

Myers was able to re-sign Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and others after Durant’s deal because no ‘apron-based hard cap’ restrictions existed.

The Warriors became the last dynasty privileged to compete without second apron limitations.

Even recent superteams like the Boston Celtics have rebuilt their roster to avoid luxury tax penalties after the new rule implementation.