Kevin Durant lit up the NBA conversation again, and this time the target was an old teammate.
The Houston Rockets star weighed in on an Instagram post comparing the 2026-27 Philadelphia 76ers to the 2017 Golden State Warriors, and he didn’t see much of a debate. The post came as LeBron James’ decision to join a Philadelphia core that already includes Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey, and VJ Edgecombe has fueled nonstop superteam talk online.
Durant’s reply was blunt.
"Ain’t close lmao. Joel, MVP recently.
Jaylen brown, recent finals MVP, Tyrese Maxey, all-star the last 3 years. We all know what bron does.
Klay Thompson, never a MVP candidate in nothing, 22ppg. Draymond, 14ppg 7 rebounds 6 assist, Steph a MVP just like Joel was.
I don't get how the warriors team is better on paper”
That comment did more than defend Philadelphia’s theoretical upside. It also took a shot at Klay Thompson, with Durant saying his former Warriors teammate was never an MVP candidate.
Thompson didn’t let that slide.
On his official Instagram account, he fired back with a short response of his own:
“Aye man u good? What u using my full government [name] for?”
The exchange landed with a little edge, but it read more like old teammates trading jabs than a real feud. There have been no reported hard feelings between Thompson and Durant since Durant left Golden State in 2019.
Durant’s history with the Warriors still hangs over any conversation about him and Golden State. He signed with the team in 2016 after the Warriors had just completed a record-setting 73-win regular season, then helped them win two straight NBA titles and took home Finals MVP both times.
Thompson’s résumé is stacked too: four NBA championships, five All-Star selections and three All-NBA Third Team nods. He’s also known as one of the league’s great shooters, holding the NBA record for the most three-pointers made in a regular-season game. And while he was never viewed as the kind of franchise centerpiece Durant referenced, he did finish 10th in MVP voting in 2014-15 and made the All-Star team in each of Durant’s three seasons with the Warriors.
Durant, meanwhile, is heading into his second year with the Rockets, while the league’s offseason rumor mill keeps spinning around Thompson. Reports continue to link him to a possible future with the Dallas Mavericks, and the Heat - a team that has tried to trade for Durant several times - are among the clubs said to be interested in Thompson.
For now, Durant is still the one keeping himself in the middle of the NBA conversation, even in the quietest stretch of the calendar.
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The issue was not his standing in the simulation so much as one specific number attached to his scoring profile, and he made sure the leagues video-game gatekeeper heard about it. For Rockets fans watching one more layer of Durants public basketball life, the eyebrow raise is less about the rating itself and more about whether the new game reflects how he sees his own game heading into another season. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Just Became Part Of A Rockets Reunion Debate
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Kevin Durants openness to the idea only adds another layer to the discussion, because it suggests whatever tension once existed between the two has softened enough for the possibility to be taken seriously. Houston would still have work to do on the financial side, and the front office may need to create room before anything can happen, but the mere fact that this kind of reunion is being discussed says a lot about how the Rockets are being viewed as a possible landing spot. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Face A Reed Sheppard Decision Fans Already Feel Coming
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Sheppards presence on that list is a reminder of why he matters so much to the Rockets long-term picture. His shooting gives him an easy path to NBA value, and there is still room for his playmaking to grow into something more. For Houston, that makes him both a useful developmental piece and the kind of asset rival teams notice quickly, which is exactly why every decision around his future is going to draw attention. [Read more 🡒]