Did Kevin Durant Fail Super Teams Or Was It The Environment Around Him?
3 teams in the last five seasons, is Kevin Durant the problem or is it his teammates?
Kevin Durant is now a member of the Houston Rockets. In a month, Houston will open the season against the 2025 NBA Champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It’s fitting, because Durant never won a title with the Thunder back in the late 2000s and mid-2010s. With Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka beside him, OKC had one of the most talented young cores in NBA history. Yet they failed to win a championship.
But maybe that wasn’t Durant’s fault.
On the Golden State Warriors, he won two titles and two Finals MVPs. Then, years later, he left Oakland for Brooklyn, where he joined Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and a group of veteran stars. But despite all the talent, the Nets never reached the Finals. Durant was then traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2023, where he spent three years alongside Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton — and still didn’t get past the second round.
Now, in Houston, Durant is once again chasing success, hoping to win the franchise’s first championship since 1995 — and his third ring overall.
But forget Houston for now. The real question is whether Durant himself is to blame for failing with three different super teams, or if it was always the environment around him.
First Super Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Durant’s first chance at a title came with OKC. In 2012, the Thunder reached the NBA Finals, but they ran into LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh’s Miami Heat, losing in five games.
After that, OKC was always close but never finished. Harden was traded in 2012 for financial reasons, injuries piled up, and Westbrook’s all-or-nothing style struggled in the playoffs. Durant still put up elite numbers every postseason, but OKC never had the stability to become a dynasty. Instead, they became one of the NBA’s biggest “what ifs.”
Second Super Team: Golden State Warriors
When Durant joined Golden State in 2016, the league changed overnight. The Warriors already had Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala thriving under Steve Kerr’s unselfish system. Durant fit perfectly, becoming the ultimate weapon in an offense that was already unstoppable.
The results: two championships and two Finals MVPs. If not for injuries in 2019, the Warriors likely would have won a third. This was Durant’s peak — though critics still questioned whether it was really his team or Curry’s.
Third Super Team: Brooklyn Nets
When Durant left for Brooklyn in 2019, it looked like his best chance to silence critics. With Kyrie Irving and later James Harden, the Nets formed one of the most talented Big Threes ever. Veterans like DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin added depth.
But it never worked. Kyrie missed significant time, Harden battled injuries before forcing a trade, and the roster constantly shifted. Durant still had legendary moments — none bigger than his near-series winner against Milwaukee in 2021 — but Brooklyn never came close to a championship. The problem wasn’t Durant. It was everything else.
Fourth Super Team: Phoenix Suns
In 2023, Durant landed in Phoenix. He joined Devin Booker and later Bradley Beal. His first season also included Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. On paper, they looked like a juggernaut. In reality, they lacked depth, chemistry, and health. Booker delivered, but Beal struggled, and Paul/Ayton didn’t last. Three years later, Durant left without a single deep playoff run.
Now: Houston Rockets
Houston may offer something different. With young stars like Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr., and Amen Thompson alongside veterans like Fred VanVleet, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Clint Capela, the Rockets have both youth and experience. Add Durant’s scoring and championship pedigree, and the team looks dangerous.
This situation might succeed where others failed:
Balance: Unlike OKC, they aren’t too young, and unlike Brooklyn/Phoenix, they aren’t overloaded with aging stars.
Chemistry: No ball-dominant drama like Harden, Kyrie, or Beal.
Defense: Coach Ime Udoka built this team’s identity around defense, something Durant’s past super teams often lacked.
But the risks remain: Durant is 36, injuries could derail him, and young teams often crack under playoff pressure. The moment he joins, expectations jump to “championship or bust.”
So was it KD’s fault all along?
No. Durant consistently delivered. What failed him were unstable rosters, injuries, and timing.
The truth is simple: Durant has always been good enough to win — but championships aren’t won on talent alone. They’re won when talent, health, chemistry, and timing all line up. For Durant, they rarely did.
Now in Houston, he has one last chance to prove that the story of his career wasn’t about what he lacked — but about the situations that never gave him a fair shot to begin with.