The Warriors can’t stop teasing Kevin Durant and it’s getting weird

Kevin Durant was the butt of multiple jokes at the Golden State Warriors’ championship parade, and it got a little awkward.

The Golden State Warriors reveled in their third NBA title in four years with a lengthy celebration in downtown Oakland on Tuesday afternoon. Jordan Bell enjoyed himself some (read: a lot) of Henny. Nick Young and JaVale McGee engaged in lighthearted tomfoolery. Draymond Green took shots at LeBron James and Tristan Thompson. Stephen Curry had himself a ball.

Good times were had by all, though the day did have its awkward moments. Namely, the multiple jokes made at Kevin Durant’s expense skirted the line of fun and over-the-top weirdness.

The zings occurred during a pre-parade Q&A session moderated by play-by-play announcer Bob Fitzgerald. General manager Bob Myers made a quip about not actually paying Durant anything he wants this summer after saying he could have whatever contract he wants. Steve Kerr got in on the fun by joking that the Warriors would offer KD the mid-level exception, and Myers took things even further by making a comment about how Stephen Curry “earned” his full max deal last summer because the two-time MVP has been there since the start of this run:

Okay, maybe a little much, but some goofiness is to be expected at a championship celebration.

The jokes didn’t stop there, though.

As he went to interview Curry and Klay Thompson, Fitzgerald said he wanted to “stand in front of KD before his Warrior exit. I want to enjoy as much time with him as possible.”

But wait, there’s more!

Fitzgerald made another crack about Durant’s contract situation before interviewing KD himself, leading the clearly frustrated two-time NBA Finals MVP to respond: “Why was that even a discussion? Why we even talking about that? For sure, we going to do this thing again.”

Durant has declared his intention to re-sign with the Warriors on multiple occasions, and The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami reiterated Wednesday that Tuesday’s needling shouldn’t change anything. Durant likes being a Warrior, and he obviously has already enjoyed a ton of success in the Bay Area.

However, there is obviously tension still there. Durant came under fire for a few poor performances in these playoffs, with one sticking point of criticism being that his occasional tendency to focus on isolations hurt the Warriors’ identity of beautiful, fast-paced basketball led by Curry. Steph is the Warriors’ prodigal son and face of the franchise, while Durant is more of a mercenary hired to make the franchise unbeatable. No matter how successful Durant is with the Warriors, he won’t ever be loved like Curry.

Next: 30 best NBA poster dunks of all time

Plus, Durant has taken plenty of heat from outside the Bay Area for his decision to join Golden State. He can rack up all the accolades he wants, but some won’t ever see them as “legitimate” because he joined an already historic team. All of this has weighed on him, so it’s easy to see why the constant joking at the championship celebration annoyed him.

The Warriors hinted at internal acrimony this season, and perhaps a “Disease of More” situation ultimately derails them in the next few years. But given the ridiculous level of talent in place, we could also see several more years of domination if they hold things together and stay healthy.