Over the course of Kevin Durant’s illustrious NBA career, he has never been shy in calling out media members when he feels the wrong narrative has been shared publicly. So, when Logan Murdock of The Ringer recently claimed that Durant’s issues with Steve Kerr played a big factor in his departure from the Warriors in 2019, Durant didn’t waste time in calling Murdock out publicly.
On Monday, Murdock published a column that offered a deep dive into Durant’s move to the Houston Rockets and his inability to stick with one particular team in recent years. One reason for this, according to Murdock, has been a “reputation” Durant has quickly formed for butting heads with his head coaches in the past.
Speaking to Durant’s departure from the Warriors specifically, Murdock cited Durant’s issues with Kerr’s “offensive principles” as arguably more of a factor in his departure than his viral shouting match with Draymond Green while the two were teammates.
“Durant’s exit from the Bay Area arguably had more to do with his issues with Steve Kerr than any shouting match with Green,” wrote Murdock. “Durant repeatedly complained both publicly and privately about Kerr’s offensive principles during his final season with the Warriors, and he continued to do so even after he left for Brooklyn. The two have since reconciled, but league sources identify Kerr as among the reasons Durant opted not to return to Golden State at the trade deadline.”
This portion of Murdock’s column caught Durant’s attention after it was aggregated by a Warriors fan page on X. Not only did Durant directly refute Murdock’s claim. But he also accused Murdock of looking to “gain more attention” and “trying to revive his career” with an inaccurate report.
“We still on this??? Obvious opportunity for Logan Murdock to gain even more attention and try to revive his career by using my name and the Warriors,” wrote Durant. “The audience is SICK AND TIRED of the same bullshit narrative. Be better my man.”
Murdock was a Warriors beat reporter for Bay Area News Group and NBC Sports Bay Area for two of the three seasons that Durant spent with the organization before joining The Ringer in 2020. So Murdock would perhaps have some insight on the matter in regards to Durant’s relationship with Kerr at the time.
Maybe Durant is just trying to save face by playing down any potential issues with Kerr. After all, no player wants to be labeled as someone who constantly dislikes how their coach does their job.
Either way, given Durant’s constant propensity to over-analyze how he is being covered by media members, it’s not exactly a surprise to see him attack Murdock’s motives so passionately.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.