If you were anywhere near a TV or a smartphone on July 4, 2016, you probably remember exactly where you were when the notification popped up. It wasn't just another free agency signing. It was a sports earthquake.
The question of what year did KD join the Warriors has a simple answer—2016—but the story behind it is a whole lot more complicated than just a date on a calendar. Honestly, it's the kind of move that people still argue about in barbershops and Twitter threads today, nearly a decade later.
Kevin Durant didn't just switch teams. He shifted the entire competitive balance of professional basketball.
The Summer of 2016: Why the Date Matters
To understand why everyone remembers what year did KD join the Warriors, you have to look at the context of that specific NBA season. The 2015-16 season was insane. The Golden State Warriors had just finished the greatest regular season in history, going 73-9.
They were essentially a juggernaut.
Then, the unthinkable happened in the playoffs. Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder were up 3-1 on those same Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. They had them on the ropes. But the Thunder collapsed, the Warriors advanced, and then the Warriors themselves blew a 3-1 lead to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals.
Basically, the stars aligned in the weirdest way possible.
The salary cap spiked that summer due to a massive new TV deal. Usually, a 73-win team wouldn't have the money to sign a superstar like Durant. But because of that one-time "cap spike," the Warriors suddenly had the room to fit a max contract for arguably the best scorer on the planet.
On Independence Day 2016, Durant published a piece on The Players' Tribune titled "My Next Chapter." The internet basically broke. He wasn't going to Boston or staying in OKC. He was heading to the team that had just beaten him.
Breaking Down the KD Warriors Era (2016–2019)
KD spent three seasons in the Bay Area. It was a short window, but man, was it dominant.
When people ask what year did KD join the Warriors, they're usually trying to pinpoint the start of the "Superteam" era that felt like a foregone conclusion every June. The Warriors went from being a great team to being an unfair one.
- 2016-2017 Season: This was the honeymoon. They went 67-15. In the playoffs, they were a buzzsaw, going 16-1. KD won his first ring and the Finals MVP.
- 2017-2018 Season: The dominance continued. Even though they faced a massive scare from the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, they swept the Cavs in the Finals. KD got his second ring and another Finals MVP.
- 2018-2019 Season: Things started to get "kinda" weird. There was the infamous on-court argument with Draymond Green. There were rumors about Durant leaving for New York. It all ended with Durant tearing his Achilles in the Finals against Toronto and then leaving for Brooklyn in free agency.
Why the "Hamptons Five" Still Matters
You've probably heard the term "Hamptons Five." It sounds like a law firm or a boy band, but it was actually the nickname for the Warriors' most lethal lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Kevin Durant.
The name came from the fact that these players (minus Klay, who wasn't there) met with Durant in the Hamptons to recruit him in July 2016.
It worked.
The basketball they played was essentially a masterpiece. Critics called it "ruining the league," but from a pure technical standpoint, it was the highest level of teamwork we've ever seen. They didn't just win; they dismantled opponents with a mix of Steph's gravity and KD's unblockable mid-range jumper.
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The Backlash and the Legacy
It wasn't all highlights and champagne, though. Durant took a massive hit to his reputation. People called him a "snake" or said his rings had asterisks.
Durant has been pretty vocal about this since then. He's mentioned in various podcasts, like Out The Mud, that he just wanted to play a different style of basketball. He was tired of being the only person who had to create shots in OKC. He wanted the movement and the unselfishness that Steve Kerr preached in San Francisco.
Whether you love him or hate him for the move, the numbers don't lie. During his time with the Warriors, he averaged about 25.8 points per game and shot efficiently from everywhere. He wasn't a passenger; he was the closer.
What You Should Know If You’re Following KD Now
If you’re looking back at what year did KD join the Warriors because you’re following his current journey, it’s worth noting how much that move still defines him.
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He’s bounced from Brooklyn to Phoenix and eventually to Houston in a blockbuster 2025 trade. But that 2016 decision remains the "pivot point" of his career. It turned him from a beloved superstar into a polarizing figure who valued his own basketball growth over traditional "loyalty."
Key Takeaways for Fans
- The Specific Date: July 4, 2016.
- The Hardware: Two championships (2017, 2018) and two Finals MVPs.
- The Contract: He initially signed a two-year, $54.3 million deal with a player option.
- The Exit: He left in 2019 via a sign-and-trade to the Brooklyn Nets.
If you’re trying to settle a bet or just refreshing your memory, just remember that 2016 was the year the NBA changed. It forced other teams to get "super" just to compete, leading to the arms races we see today.
To really get the full picture, go back and watch the 2017 Finals. Watching LeBron James and Kevin Durant go at it at the peak of their powers is still some of the best basketball ever caught on film. It makes you realize that while the move was controversial, the talent on that court was undeniable.
Next time you're looking at NBA history, look at the 2016-17 season as the definitive "Year One" of the modern efficiency era. Check out the efficiency ratings from that season; they’re still some of the highest ever recorded for a championship team. That's the real impact of KD joining the Dubs.
Actionable Next Steps:
To truly understand the impact of this move, compare the Warriors' offensive rating from the 2015-16 season (pre-KD) to the 2016-17 season (post-KD). You can find these deep-dive metrics on sites like Basketball-Reference or NBA.com/Stats. Pay close attention to the "True Shooting Percentage" of the team as a whole—it shows exactly how much easier life became for Steph and Klay once Durant arrived.