On the morning of July 4, 2016, Kevin Durant shook the NBA to its core. By announcing his decision to sign with the Warriors, he didn't just change the trajectory of the Oakland franchise — he shifted the league's entire balance of power.
More so than anyone else, Durant is lodged at the center of the NBA discourse. LeBron James, whose gravitational pull once caused the league to react to his every move, is now marginalized on a Lakers team filled with flawed youngsters and castoff veterans. In 2018, the entire league reacts to the Warriors, a super-team prior to Durant's arrival and, now, something unprecedented in the history of the sport.