Kevin Durant probably expected pushback when he argued that the new-look Philadelphia 76ers stack up better “on paper” than the Golden State Warriors team he helped lead to two championships. He likely didn’t expect one of his former teammates to jump into the conversation. After Durant’s comparison spread across social media, Klay Thompson publicly questioned one part of his argument, while Draymond Green took a very different approach.

Speaking on The Draymond Green Show, Green said the criticism surrounding Durant missed the point completely. In his view, people weren’t reacting to what Durant actually said about Philadelphia’s roster; they were letting old opinions about Durant’s 2016 move to Golden State shape the conversation instead.

“So when people try to negatively throw out there like, ‘Oh, he did what KD did,’ I don’t really respect that, and I don’t f*** with it because everyone in the world has, or daily works to put themselves in position to do whatever it is that they want to do,” Draymond firmly stated.

“When a guy like Kevin Durant, who works his a** off, puts himself in the position to do what he wanted to do, everyone else in the world that can’t do what they want to do wants to s*** on this guy for doing what he wanted to do,” Green added.

Green argued that Durant earned the right to make that decision and shouldn’t still be judged for it a decade later.

Green also said Durant’s latest comments were being viewed through the lens of his 2016 decision to join Golden State. According to Green, that history made people assume Durant was defending another “superteam,” even though Durant’s original point was about individual scoring talent rather than predicting another Warriors-style dynasty.

“That’s what he did because he put himself in a position to be able to do that. So again, the negative connotation on, ‘Oh, he did what KD did,’ I don’t rock with that at all,” Green said.

Green said Durant has always viewed basketball through the lens of pure offensive talent. Referring to Philadelphia’s new core of LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, Green explained that Durant simply saw four players capable of putting up around 25 points on any given night. In Durant’s eyes, that alone makes the roster one of the league’s most exciting teams on paper, not necessarily a guarantee that it will match everything the Warriors accomplished together.

Klay Thompson had one issue with Durant’s comparison

The debate began after Durant replied to a fan on Instagram who argued that Philadelphia’s new “Big Four” couldn’t be compared to the 2017 Warriors. Durant disagreed, writing, “@tevstakes 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.”

Well, this did not sit right with ex-Warriors superstar Klay Thompson. He tagged Kevin Durant on his IG Story and wrote, “Aye man u good? @easymoneysniper What u using my full government for 📰📝??”

While Durant’s overall argument focused on individual achievements and scoring production, Thompson appeared to take issue with the way his own résumé was presented. Durant highlighted what Thompson had never accomplished rather than the championships, All-Star appearances and defensive role that helped define the Warriors’ dynasty.

Green ultimately defended Durant’s reasoning, not the comparison itself. He argued that Durant was judging talent through individual scoring ability, while Thompson’s response showed that not everyone from that championship Warriors core viewed the discussion the same way. What began as a debate over Philadelphia’s roster quickly turned into another conversation about how the Warriors’ dynasty is remembered and who deserves credit for it.