Kevin Durant went to the Golden State Warriors specifically to win a championship, and he has accomplished his goal. He looked like the finest scorer we have seen in years en route to a finals MVP, and he has taken less money from the Team to provide for the squad as a whole. He is blaming detractors for the negative press he has gotten, and he has a compelling reason why he thinks people dislike the reduced salary.
Haters want to see them fail
Durant has maintained from the beginning that his detractors merely want to see the Warriors fail. He is right in that many NBA fans are ready to see the Warriors fall apart.
America likes an underdog, and they Warriors are no underdogs. They are likely going to win yet another championship in the upcoming season given strife in Cleveland, the fact that LeBron may leave Cleveland and that the Warriors club is intact.
Rooting against success
America has a funny way of rooting against success in any avenue of life, but sports tend to bring out hatred more than anything else. We were once in love with those little Blue Devils from Duke, and we cheered for them when they beat UNLV for a title, Christian Laettner hit his miraculous shot, and they went back-to-back. Today, we dislike Duke in many segments of America simply because they are too successful.
We now have the same problem with Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors.
He seems to be having fun
Kevin Durant seems to be having fun playing basketball in Oakland, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the team together. Taking a bit less money has ensured that the team will stay together for another season, and they were able to give Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala longer contracts.
The Warrior juggernaut will not last forever, but it will win at least one more title because of what Kevin has done. There is no denying that he is doing what is best for the team.
He can still make money
Kevin Durant has every opportunity in the world to make money outside of basketball. He does not necessarily need the few dollars that are lost when he takes a lower salary in Golden State, and it appears that he is willing to weather the storm until the team breaks up due to large contracts.
Draymond Green and Klay Thompson must be paid soon, and the team will not have enough cap room to have that many max contracts on the books. This move from Kevin gives his team a chance to win now, and the winning could go on for a few more years without any real challenge.
