Kevin Durant’s Exit From OKC Still Stings. His Former Teammate Just Confirmed It.

Anthony Morrow was leaving his dad’s house on July 4, 2016, when he found out Kevin Durant was leaving the Thunder. He did what any real friend would do. He texted him support first. Then he cursed him out under his breath.

Morrow, who played alongside Durant in Oklahoma City from 2014 to 2017, told the story on the “Club 520” podcast. It’s the kind of raw, honest reaction that fans probably felt themselves that day — except Morrow actually lived it.

“That s*** was on July 4th. I’ll never forget,” Morrow said. “I texted him. I was like, ‘Bro, I had to pray about it. Damn, s*** got crazy, bro. I don’t want to cuss.’ I was like, ‘Bro, listen, you’re my brother, bro. You made your decision. How you supposed to make it, you’re a grown man. I just want you to be successful.’ He texted me like, ‘Appreciate it, bro.'”

Then Morrow put the phone down and said something very different.

“F*** this n****,” he recalled. “Like, for real, bro. No, but he’s going to see and going to say something. I love, you know, that’s my brother for life. But in that moment, I was like, ‘Nah.'”

The honesty is a little uncomfortable. It’s also refreshing.

Durant’s free agency decision in 2016 remains one of the most polarizing moves in NBA history. He left a Thunder team that had just pushed the Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference Finals. Then he joined that same Warriors team. The championship math changed overnight.

Morrow said he texted Russell Westbrook after talking to Durant. Westbrook’s response? He wasn’t worried. Which tracks. That guy has never backed down from anything.

The Warriors won two titles with Durant, and he took home Finals MVP both times. The Thunder never made it back to the conference finals until they finally won the whole thing in 2025. That’s a long wait. A lot of what-ifs.

Durant explained his decision at the time in an essay called “My Next Chapter,” saying he needed to leave his comfort zone to keep growing. It worked out. But the emotional fallout in Oklahoma City was real. It wasn’t just about basketball. It was about a brother leaving.

Morrow’s story captures that tension perfectly. You can be happy for someone and still be pissed they’re gone. Both things are true at the same time.