Isiah Thomas dropped a bomb on Draymond Green.
Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors will always have a controversial history together. On one end, many will say that Kevin Durant should have never joined the team, on the other end, the Warriors just had the greatest NBA Finals collapse in history.
In the eyes of NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, he believes Durant saved the Warriors’ legacy as much as they saved his.
During an episode of The Draymond Green Show, Isiah Thomas gave Draymond Green a major reality check when it comes to Kevin Durant’s tenure with the team.
“Let me make a bold statement here and I hope this doesn’t upset you,” Thomas said. “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 probably one of the biggest collapses in NBA history.”
"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
The moment that Kevin Durant arrived after the playoffs, no one thought about the 3-1 collapse ever again.
“Kevin Durant comes that summer and really saves y’all basketball legacy,” Thomas said. “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 doesn’t come that summer and you guys are remembered as the 73–9 team, all of your legacies are different.”
The Golden Warriors were definitely still a championship team before Kevin Durant arrived. However, there was no guarantee that they’d win multiple championships and create a dynasty without Kevin Durant. While Isiah Thomas’ comments may seem controversial, it’s a conversation worth having.