Isiah Thomas Tells Draymond Green That Kevin Durant Saved Warriors’ Legacy
Isiah Thomas had something to get off his chest.
While appearing on Tuesday’s episode of The Draymond Green Show, the former Detroit Pistons guard made a bold statement about the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty.
“I hope this doesn’t upset you,” Thomas began. “Before Kevin Durant arrived in Golden State, y’all were on the verge of being remembered as the team that went 73–9 and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals. You were up 3–1 and [it] probably [was] one of the biggest collapses in NBA history.
“Kevin Durant comes that summer and really saves y’all basketball legacy. You win two championships after that. The Golden State Warriors’ dynasty that you’re going to go into the Hall of Fame on and everything else—it is cemented because if Durant don’t come that summer and you guys are remembered as the 73–9 team, all of your legacies are different.”
"If Durant don't come that summer and you guys are remembered as the 73-9 team, all of your legacies are different"
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 12, 2024
—@IsiahThomas tells @Money23Green the impact @KDTrey5 had for the Warriors pic.twitter.com/pO8C1TpisU
Whew.
Indeed, Durant did sign with Golden State a few months after the Warriors blew a 3–1 series lead in the 2016 NBA Finals to LeBron James and the Cavaliers. He spent three seasons in the Bay Area, leading the Warriors to championships in 2017 and ‘18 and falling just short in ‘19.
“That didn’t hurt me at all,” Green responded to Thomas, acknowledging Durant’s impact on the dynasty.
The Warriors went on to win the 2022 NBA Finals without Durant, defeating the Boston Celtics in six games. Steph Curry was crowned with his first NBA Finals MVP that year, quieting most of the remaining critics that believed Durant carried the franchise to those two titles.
Thomas, however, still holds those strong opinions.