When Kevin Durant announced that he’d chosen to sign with the Golden State Warriors rather than return to Oklahoma City on July 4, several basketball worlds were turned upside down. The NBA itself, the Warriors’ world, the Thunder’s world for sure, but also that of Russell Westbrook, who came in the league shortly after Durant and grew into a top 5 running mate for the former MVP. The two appeared destined for multiple rings during their ascent, but considering these recent developments, there’s a good chance they never play together again, and all that potential would have evaporated into a ring-less, glory-less mist.

Considering the gravity of the decision he made, Durant probably already knows that, and he alluded to it in a recent interview with Sina, a Chinese website. When asked about the state of his relationship with Westbrook, Durant responded honestly, and acknowledged the awkwardness onlookers would imagine exists.

I just told [Westbrook], I let him know how I felt. And you obviously, our relationship probably won’t ever be the same again, but it’s something I wanted to do and I expressed that to him. Hopefully, he respected it.

Durant’s decision not only affected the team he’d be playing for in 2016-2017 and for the foreseeable future, but without KD, Westbrook has little reason to stay in Oklahoma City, which has now traded or waved goodbye to three of its franchise’s biggest cornerstones in the last 4 years.