Regardless of the passage of time, NBA fans will perpetually ponder the “what-ifs” surrounding Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. As time progresses, additional insights continue to emerge regarding their tumultuous split, with the latest revelations coming from former Warriors player Quinn Cook.

In the latest installment of the Captain Jack Podcast, Quinn Cook disclosed the impact of the Kevin Durant and Draymond Green drama on the Warriors. Among the most startling revelations was Cook’s assertion that the team never directly addressed the situation, allowing it to escalate into the controversy it ultimately became.

“It didn’t affect our game, I just think guys were tired of it,” Cook said. “That 2019 year [Kerr] said he’s never seen a team so closely scrutinized. Every single day it was something. I know when KD and Draymond got into it on the bench, that kinda like put some stuff on our team. I’m gonna say it, Golden State didn’t handle it right. It was never addressed to us, because we’re the ones that’s dealing with it every single day. We tried to have team meetings, koombayas, but that sh*t ain’t work. We went through all that, and we still was a game away. I think for me, we’re men, let’s just figure it out. Let’s put it all on the table, if we gotta fight, let’s fight, let’s get it out of the way. If we gotta talk, let’s talk, let’s get it out of the way. If we don’t address the situation, it’s never going to get handled. We just never handled the situation, never, and that hurt us.”

If Keivn Durant doesn’t leave the Golden State Warriors, the franchise likely wins multiple more championships. Ultimately, Steph Curry still won another championship without Durant in 2022, but that window would have been much larger if he stayed.