The Golden State Warriors wanted their association with Kevin Durant to continue, but Durant didn't share that desire. Maybe that tells us everything we need to know about who benefited most from the three-year relationship.
If Durant had been as fulfilled as the Warriors, wouldn't he have signed that five-year, $221 million contract and stuck around? Doesn't his departure for the Brooklyn Nets clearly show he was less satisfied by the partnership than his team was?
Maybe.
But that line of thinking fails to consider a key question: Did Durant leave the Warriors because he didn't find what he was searching for in Golden State, or because he got everything he needed, which meant he felt compelled to pursue the next challenge?