Kevin Durant Rumors: Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry's Warriors Role Could Lead to Exit

Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Golden State Warriors could reportedly come down to his relationship with coach Steve Kerr and his desire to be seen as a franchise face.

"One front office executive said that Durant has been unhappy with the prodding from Steve Kerr and the feeling that he never can be—no matter how great he performs and how many individual honors he compiles—the centerpiece of a team that holds Steph Curry in the hearts of the franchise," Steve Popper of Newsday wrote.

The latter part of the theory is more believable than the former. Kerr has been one of Durant's biggest champions and defenders in the media all season. He's both harked back to Michael Jordan when speaking of Durant's pre-calf-injury playoff run and called off the dogs when KD went on his midseason media hiatus. Very little of their relationship appears to be contentious, though it's possible more goes on behind the scenes.

The Curry thing—more specifically, a desire to be seen as the guy—makes more sense. Durant is clearly the best player on the Warriors. Golden State also clearly plays a freer, more comfortable brand of basketball when Durant is off the floor. Curry, the unquestioned franchise face, is the ecosystem around which that offense thrives. That's not to say that the Warriors are better without Durant—they are not—but they're good enough that it can foster that perception.

Durant went to Golden State likely in part to avoid shouldering the load. The Warriors were a 73-win team, and KD must have been frustrated after years of coming up short with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City. Golden State provided a group of unselfish stars around which he could grow and rack up rings.

Durant has done that. He's arguably the best player in basketball and has two Finals MVPs on his mantle. But there has been a consistent perception around Durant that he took the easy way out, that the Warriors will always be Steph's franchise.

Three years is a long time. What Durant wants now could be very different than what he did in 2016. It would be fair if he wanted to take the lessons learned with the Warriors and apply them to a different franchise, playing for "his" team.

None of this will be settled until July, but it's the best argument for Durant skipping town.