Kevin Durant Reportedly Told Westbrook ‘I’ll Be Back’ Before Signing With Dubs

It seemed as if the entire basketball world was shocked when Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors. Beat writers scrambled for answers and Oklahoma City fans struggled to pick their jaws up from the floor.

It turns out Thunder fans weren’t the only ones taken off-guard by Durant’s decision to flee OKC.

Russell Westbrook was maybe most surprised by the announcement, considering Durant had told him a week before the now-storied weekend in the Hamptons, that he would re-sign.

The news comes via ESPN.com’s Royce Young, who discussed the conversation between Durant and Westbrook on ESPN’s True Hoop podcast:

“Three weeks ago, Kevin Durant’s sitting there at dinner, telling him ‘Hey, I’m coming back, man. Don’t worry about it.’ And now, Russell Westbrook has been kind of thrown into this in having to decide his future a summer earlier than expected,” Young commented.

“Kevin Durant, more so than even that, was telling people, ‘Hey, yeah, I mean I’m coming back.’ Like I said in there, a week before Kevin Durant sat down in the Hamptons, he was in Oklahoma City ready to make an offer on a multi-million-dollar house. So, the guy was pretty serious about coming back, and then things turned rather quickly for him to leave. And there’s no doubt that the organization felt a little bit burned by this.”

Young backed-tracked a bit when asked for clarification on Twitter, saying he couldn’t remember exactly what he had said, but what he meant was “Westbrook believed Durant would come back after their meeting.”

Durant and Westbrook reportedly had dinner together before KD began taking meetings with prospective suitors in New York’s plush summer hotspot.

Westbrook is entering the final season of his current contract and could test the waters of free agency after the 2016-2017 season.

With the loss of Durant, the Thunder are eager to ink Westbrook long-term, or get some adequate compensation for him in a trade in order to rebuild.

“With Durant now gone,” Young wrote Wednesday, “Westbrook understands the gravity of his own choice. He leaves, and the organization burns to the ground in a summer.”

Leading up to free agency, Durant told reporters that he would have to distance himself from Westbrook for a little while, in order to find the right answer and right fit for himself.

“Obviously, I want to ask for advice,” Durant said. “But also, I want to make the decision that’s best for me. I’m sure at some point, me and Russell will sit down and talk.”

The “talk” took place, but it didn’t go the way Westbrook would’ve hoped.

According to OKC beat writer Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman, Durant’s departure has lit a fire beneath Westbrook.

“Westbrook has given the Thunder no indication that he currently wants out. To the contrary, one source described him as ticked off about the Kevin Durant departure, determined for this new challenge and eager for the season to start.”

Article by Kevin Xavier