How Draymond mended rocky KD relationship in offseason conversation

Draymond Green’s relationship with Kevin Durant is on the mend after the former teammates hit a rough patch last season.

After an incident in which Green struck Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkić during a Warriors-Suns matchup on Dec. 12 last season, Durant made waves after he said he hoped “Draymond gets the help that he needs.”

Green discussed how he took exception to Durant’s comments on his podcast, “The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.”

“I was thankful, I was appreciative because I am always someone who addresses things head on,” Green said. “Last year, I got suspended with the stuff with Nurkić, and KD said something that I didn’t like. I was like, ‘Damn, KD’s got my number, and you’re going to go out publicly and feed this narrative of, like, I hope he gets the help he needs, and I was upset about it, I felt a way, I was pissed.”

After Green served a 12-game suspension, Durant clarified that he meant no ill will towards his former teammate. Green revealed that the two later cleared the air in a conversation over the offseason.

“I saw KD in the offseason, and we chopped it up, and man to man, face to face, we chopped it up,” Green continued. “Told him how I felt, he told me how he felt, and he was like, damn, I didn’t think it would be seen that way, I didn’t think it would be taken that way, and we talked about it. Then for him to come out and say this, when you share disdain with something that someone does, don’t be a hypocrite when they say something well, you don’t appreciate that.”

Green typically does not take issue with outside comments, but felt Durant’s words carried more weight as a former teammate.

“Many things that most people say don’t bother me, they don’t affect me,” Green said. “I really don’t give a damn, but KD says something I care. So I cared a lot when he said that about me last year.”

“It means a lot to me and my personal growth, but also, anytime you hear from your peers and, especially the one’s that are as great as Kevin Durant, and you hear him say, “The cerebral monster that he is, he’s playing his best basketball, he’s found that ultimate balance of ultra aggressive edge,” when you hear that from your peers, especially won that you’ve gone to war with, won a championship with, and one opinion that really matters to you, I was extremely appreciative of his comments.”

Green and Durant were Warriors teammates for three seasons from 2016-17 through 2018-19, winning two NBA titles along the way. However, despite their success and cohesion on the court as teammates, their last season together included a heated in-game argument between the two in a loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, which resulted in a one-game suspension for Green.

Durant then left Golden State and signed with the Brooklyn Nets the following offseason, where he spent three-plus years before a midseason trade to the Phoenix Suns during the 2022-23 campaign.

Green and the Warriors faced off against Durant and the Suns already this season, a 113-105 Golden State loss on Nov. 30 at Footprint Center. The former teammates will meet again next on Dec. 28 at Chase Center.

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