Ever since Kevin Durant decided to leave the Thunder and sign with the Warriors ahead of the 2016-17 season, the relationship between Durant and Russell Westbrook has been, to put it in very basic terms, not great.
Westbrook was reportedly "ticked off" at the time of Durant's decision and said in February he wasn't sure if the two could ever repair their relationship because "it's not really up to me, honestly." Durant has responded to some of Westbrook's troll tactics over the past year with his own subtle moves. But perhaps all of the drama could be coming to an end.
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Former Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, who played in Oklahoma City from 2010-2015, told Sports Illustrated's Jake Fischer Durant and Westbrook are talking to each other once again.
Perkins established a group text message with Durant and Westbrook upon arriving in Oklahoma City. "I didn’t know KD and Russ from a can of paint," he says. "I just wanted to get it like how we had it in Boston." They pinged the thread day and night, dishing football smack and NBA rumors. "We’re in it a lot," Westbrook said back in April 2016, even after Perkins left the Thunder. "That’s the type of relationship we have [with him]."
The group message has been silent following Durant’s departure to Oakland last summer. Perkins thinks it will resume activity in the future. "At least they’re talking to each other again," he said. “I know they had talked right after they announced Russ won MVP. They texted. I think they broke the ice."
This revelation makes sense considering Durant publicly congratulated Westbrook on winning MVP in June via his verified YouTube page.
"Huge congrats to Russell Westbrook on MVP, that boy went out there and was a created player on (the popular video game NBA) 2k all year," Durant wrote at the time. "F—in balled out. Gotta respect it!"
While Durant and Westbrook appear to be back on speaking terms, don't expect those competitive juices to stop flowing once the stars see each other this season. Some NBA fans speculated Westbrook took a shot at Durant with his outfit choice following a preseason game against Melbourne United. There was also a report this week tthe Warriors don't fear Westbrook and believe defending his style of play is easy. There's always going to be the game within the game.
With Westbrook sticking in OKC after signing a massive extension and Durant unlikely to leave Golden State in the near future, we should get a few more intriguing battles between these Western Conference powerhouses. Buckle up. The NBA is almost back.
