Kevin Durant felt time in Bay Area was ‘incredible,' Rich Kleiman says

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Kevin Durant came to the Bay Area in 2016 and left in 2019 having accomplished everything he came here to do.

He played in the NBA Finals all three years, won his first two NBA championships and was named NBA Finals MVP both times the Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But the way Durant's final season with the Warriors played out, how he left and all the words that have been said since make it seem like his time here wasn't good or pleasurable.

That's an incorrect assessment according to Durant's manager, Rich Kleiman.

"He has never regretted decisions," Kleiman said on The Athletic's "Tampering" podcast this week. "He feels like his experience in the Bay was incredible. He went to three Finals, won two Finals MVPs, formed an incredible set of relationships for life there. Has incredible friends there. So that situation was awesome.

"And he got to go to New York, where he wanted to play and play for an organization that he was interested in being a part of and he’s playing with a player he wanted to play with, and he did it his way. He chose where he wanted to be."

[RUNNIN' PLAYS PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]

Don't let Durant's demeanor fool you. He still has a great relationship with Steph Curry. Just look at the hug they gave each other when the Warriors played the Nets in Brooklyn in early February. That was love.

[RELATED: Kleiman responds to Draymond's comments]

Durant only spent three seasons in the Bay Area, but he is a legend in these parts. Whatever has happened over the last year, it doesn't change what he accomplished here or the fun he had that first season.

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