The 2016 NBA season and offseason was unforgettable, especially for Kevin Durant. That year, the Cleveland Cavaliers, led by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, made a historic comeback from a 3–1 series deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
In response, the Warriors added Durant to their already stacked roster, virtually guaranteeing future championships. And they would get their payback, beating Cleveland in the next two NBA Finals.
But before Durant signed with Golden State, he listened to pitches from several teams. One report revealed that the Los Angeles Clippers took a very unconventional approach in their attempt to lure Durant away from the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he had spent the first nine seasons of his career.
Steve Ballmer ‘Cried’ During Clippers Meeting with Kevin Durant
During the height of Durant’s 2016 free agency, NBA reporter Aaron Bruski claimed the superstar’s meeting with the Los Angeles squad was emotional, so much so that owner Steve Ballmer reportedly cried.
Bruski wrote, “Clippers meeting with Durant was ‘intense’, and ‘at one point Steve Ballmer was crying,’ but everyone grew closer and a big lesson was learned.”
Now, nearly nine years later, a fan asked Durant about this supposedly emotional meeting. The 15-time NBA All-Star vehemently denied the claim.
Somebody crying was news to me, we didn’t know what engagement farming was back then, Aaron was ahead of his time
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 9, 2025
Durant responded to the fan on X, saying, “Somebody crying was news to me. We didn’t know what engagement farming was back then—Aaron was ahead of his time.”
In his response, Durant accused the reporter of “engagement farming,” a tactic used on social media to boost attention by exaggerating or fabricating elements of a story to make it more sensational.
The meeting clearly didn’t go well enough to sway Durant, ultimately taking his talents to another California team: the Warriors. That decision proved to be fruitful as Golden State won back-to-back titles with Durant earning Finals MVP honors in both championship runs.
Ironically, there have recently been reports linking Durant to the Clippers once again. This time, however, the team boasts stars like Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, and they just pushed three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets to seven games in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.
Now, Durant finds himself in the midst of another dramatic offseason. He and the Phoenix Suns are reportedly working together to find a trade partner.
While it remains to be seen which team will land him, the Clippers could be a serious contender, especially considering Durant’s past experience playing with Harden during their time with the Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets.