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Report: Thunder players were upset by Durant's bond with Green

Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Kevin Durant's former Oklahoma City Thunder teammates apparently didn't like the fact that one of the team's leaders had a budding relationship with the enemy.

When the Thunder and 73-win Golden State Warriors did battle during this year's Western Conference finals, Russell Westbrook and other Thunder players reportedly expressed their frustration about Durant's friendship with Draymond Green, who delivered multiple shots to the groin of center Steven Adams during the series.

"I know Russell was bothered by - and some other teammates were too - of, like, there was some knowledge there that Draymond was in contact with Kevin all season long," The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on "The Vertical Pod" with guest Jeff Van Gundy. "They're in a playoff series and I know there was some conversation around the Thunder team of, 'Hey man, this guy kicked Steven Adams in the nuts twice in this series and what are you doing hanging out with this guy? What's the relationship? We're trying to beat these guys.'"

In a cruel twist of fate for OKC, Durant has since taken his talents to the Bay Area to join Green and the Warriors on a new two-year contract. He decided to change sides a little over a month after Golden State overcame a 3-1 series deficit to knock the Thunder out of the postseason.

Green and other members of the Warriors reportedly recruited Durant throughout the course of the regular season to convince him to sign on with their already stacked roster once he became an unrestricted free agent.

Related: Green on Durant: 'He doesn't have to change how he plays'

Durant said he's comfortable with his free-agency choice, however, and can live with any resentment or backlash that comes his way.

"We live in this superhero comic book world where either you're a villain or you're a superhero if you're in this position, and I know that, and I know I haven't changed as a person," Durant said during his introductory press conference Thursday. "I don't treat people any differently because I made the decision to play basketball in another city. I understand the fans in Oklahoma City and basketball fans around the world are, I guess, upset, but like I said, I made the decision based upon what I wanted to do and how I felt, and it's the best decision for me, so I can't really control how you feel."

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