Report: Russell Westbrook ‘Angry’ And ‘Hurt’ Kevin Durant Didn’t Tell Him Personally That He Was Leaving

Russell Westbrook finds himself in a tough spot now that Kevin Durant has left town for the Warriors. The superstar point guard has popped up in trade rumors and now the Thunder are doing everything to make the team the most attractive spot for Russ–including letting Dion Waiters go, which opens up cap space to sign Westbrook to an extension. Russ now must decide whether or not to put his name on a long-term contract to stay with the Thunder, or tell Sam Presti that he doesn’t want to sign and risk being traded to a new city and team. Westbrook doesn’t become a free agent until the end of next season, but the Durant move effectively made him a free agent a year early.

Westbrook has been silent since KD skipped town, but those close to him have been leaking rumors to reporters. Last week, a report surfaced that Westbrook was “ticked off” Durant left, and a new report from ESPN‘s Royce Young states that Westbrook isn’t only mad that his former teammate left, but also that he didn’t tell him personally of his plans.

Westbrook is taking time not just to figure out his next steps, but also to lick his own wounds. Reports have come out suggesting Westbrook’s style of play influenced Durant to leave, though Durant publicly denied that in Las Vegas recently. The two have not spoken since Durant’s decision. Those close to Westbrook say he’s both angry and hurt not only by Durant’s decision to leave but also because Durant didn’t even call to tell him personally. Westbrook wasn’t prepared to be in this position — three weeks ago, like everyone else, he thought Durant was coming back. And he had to learn the hard way he wasn’t.

 

Westbrook has remained mum, but he and the Thunder have been in communication often since Durant’s departure. Plenty want to hear from Westbrook, but he isn’t going to play out his free agency in the public eye. There won’t be any “I’ll make that decision when the time comes” mediaspeak. It’s not hard to gauge him when it comes to public comments; he’s as transparent as they come. And with Durant now gone, Westbrook understands the gravity of his own choice — he leaves, and the organization burns to the ground in a summer. So he wants to give them clarity to either move on with or without him.