The Kevin Durant acquisition has been the biggest story of the NBA offseason, and perhaps the most polarizing development in recent memory.
Not since LeBron James joined the Miami Heat or David Stern vetoed the Chris Paul trade to the Los Angeles Lakers has a player transaction sparked so much debate regarding its merits and legitimacy.
Tracy McGrady is the most recent former player to criticize Durant signing with the Warriors, and the circumstances of McGrady’s career make it extremely ironic.
In an interview with Complex, he emphasized that he wasn’t upset that Durant left Oklahoma City, but took offense that it was for a team that Oklahoma City almost beat to reach the NBA Finals.
“I just think as a competitor, you would come back and try to dethrone them with the same team,” McGrady said.
This sentiment assumes that Durant was happy playing in Oklahoma City, and I’m still not entirely sure that’s an accurate assessment.
I don’t doubt that he viewed Russell Westbrook as a brother and close friend, but from a distance, they appear like extremely different personality types.
Their clashes on the sideline always looked alarming and emotionally draining, and perhaps Durant didn’t want to be a part of that anymore.
Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green look like they’re having a lot of fun out on the court, and maybe Durant wanted to win while being engulfed in a much lighter atmosphere.
McGrady doesn’t take into account any of those possibilities, instead just seeing a team that was talented enough to compete for a championship.
While that’s certainly true, maybe Durant just needed to recharge with a change of scenery, and not to mention a team that proved they were ultimately better.
What’s also fascinating about McGrady being the one to make comments like this is because he himself tried to make a super team when he signed with the Magic at the same time Grant Hill did.
They even tried to get Tim Duncan to join forces with him, but he ended up deciding to stay with the Spurs.
It’s funny how McGrady tried to build a super team himself, and is now criticizing Durant for joining a team with multiple stars already.
It’s similar to Charles Barkley’s comments lamenting Durant’s decision. Barkley joined a Rockets team in the late 90s that had Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and later added Scottie Pippen.
It displays a lack of self awareness for these guys to criticize Durant for doing what they also tried to do.
Of course, McGrady’s Raptors team that he left wasn’t the championship contender that the Thunder were, but again, there could have been other reasons why Durant left the Thunder.
At the end of the day, it’s Durant’s career, and he has the right of self-determination regarding his basketball journey.
It’s a shame that McGrady isn’t more empathetic to a star player wanting to enhance his chances of winning a championship, considering that’s why he presumably went to Orlando with Grant Hill.
Durant wants to win above all else, and it’s also especially fascinating that a player known for the dubious distinction of not being able to win a playoff series is now criticizing a decision of another player presumably motivated by wanting to win.
In the prime of his career, McGrady wasn’t able to ever get out of the first round of the playoffs, so he should be very aware of how difficult it is to win in this league.
Durant wants to experience the ultimate team success of winning a championship. If he succeeds in that task, all of this adversity will have been worth it for him.