Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors last year caused a huge stir across the NBA and saw him draw criticism from many different angles.

His free agency decision was the biggest move since LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in 2010.

LBJ formed a big three in South Beach with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and was credited for starting the 'superteam' era and for inspiring players to take control of their futures as free agents.

Durant certainly points to the Cavs superstar as the inspiration behind his decision to leave Oklahoma City.

Upon joining the Warriors, the small forward had modeled James’ two-year contracts, with a player option on the second year, one which would allow him to re-think his future at the end of every season. He said LeBron “gave me the courage to do that”.

In a recent interview with GQ's Zach Baron, Durant said: “Now, I could have did a better job studying how he approached everything after that. But I did it my way. And the next guy is gonna look at me as an example. We’re all working together now.

“He’s four years older than me, so he’s still the big homie. But I’m on the same level as a basketball player. Off the court, I can learn a thing from you. But as a basketball player, I feel like it’s 1A, 1B. And that’s an accomplishment for me.”

In a heartfelt piece on The Players' Tribune after he was traded by the Boston Celtics to the Cavaliers in the summer, All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas used Durant as an example of why fans shouldn't make a judgment on a player if he chooses a new destination.

He was referring to the way he was blindsided by the Celtics and pointed out that if the teams can make those decisions, the players can too.

“I can appreciate him just kind of having my back a little bit on that,” Durant said about Thomas' comments.

The former OKC star justified his move by winning his first championship with the Dubs and being named the Finals MVP.

Superstar players are judged on championships and KD ultimately gave himself the best opportunity to win multiple rings by joining the best team in the league and making them more formidable.

He may have been criticised for taking the "easy" route to a title but there aren't many players who would pass up an opportunity to team up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.