Dynasties are built on star power, luck and the management of personalities.
The biggest caveat in the quest for dominance is the egos that can ultimately lead to the unraveling of the same dynasty they created. No better example of that notion than Ray Allen's role in the breakup of the 2008 Boston Celtics, and Kevin Durant's departure from the Warriors last summer.
Durant's Bay Area arrival in 2016 developed the league's most potent offensive attack alongside Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, promising title-chasing for years to come. The Big 3-led Boston Celtics featuring Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Peirce were among the best trios in NBA history. But as the two teams found out, dynasties are fragile and won't last forever.
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Allen came to Boston in 2007 after becoming a sharpshooting star with the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle Supersonics to join Paul Peirce and Kevin Garnett. The team immediately dominated the NBA, and won the 2008 title in their first season as teammates. But former Celtics big man Kendrick Perkins says Allen's selfishness may have led to the team's undoing in 2012.
"He had a problem with sacrificing," Perkins said on the latest edition of the Runnin' Plays Podcast. "And towards the end, the relationship was damaged."
Perkins, who left the Celtics in 2011, said Allen's trouble's started during the beginning of his tenure in Boston, saying the sharpshooting guard failed to fully compete with the team-first mindset outlined by Garnett.
"KG was the best player on that team," Perkins said. "KG got to that team, and guess what he did? He put himself third. He was like, 'We're going to run this as Paul's team, Paul this your squad. Perk, you and I going ... to get Ray open.
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"Ray, we need you to do this, this is what you going to do. And Perk, you and I, we're going to anchor this defense. Rondo, you're going to be the point, you're going to make sure you orchestrate the offense, get everyone involved."
Similar to Allen, Durant felt a disposition by the end of his tenure with the Warriors. Before his move to Golden State, Durant thought fulfillment would come with titles, that trophies would erase any criticism of his game. But by the end of his tenure in the Bay Area, even with two titles and Finals MVPs to his name, Durant didn't appear to find the fulfillment he sought.
"I'll never be one of those guys," Durant told the Wall Street Journal last fall. "I didn't get drafted there. Steph Curry, obviously drafted there. Andre Iguodala, won the first Finals, first championship. Klay Thompson, drafted there. Draymond Green, drafted there. And the rest of the guys kind of rehabilitated their careers there."
[RUNNIN' PLAYS PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]
Since leaving Boston, multiple stories detailed Allen's acrimonious relationship with the Celtics during his tenure, including his disdain for playing alongside Rondo. Additionally, he was annoyed that his name appeared in trade rumors, including a reported package to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2012 for O.J. Mayo and a draft pick.
Tensions rose when he signed with the rival Miami Heat months after Miami came back from a three-games-to-two deficit to beat the Celtics in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals. Perkins said the Celtics didn't like the way Allen fraternized with the Heat players during the series, or that there was a lack of communication in the ensuing offseason.
"Guys felt like that Ray wasn't all the way in. And guys saw Ray talking to [LeBron James] and some of the Heat players after the game. And the way that they was rocking at the time ... we had a rule in that Celtic locker room, if you wasn't bleeding green, we wasn't fooling with you. Offseason we could, but you better not go over there after a game and talk to nobody. And our locker room wasn't open for people to walk in or none of that.
"And during that summer, (Celtics general manager) Danny (Ainge) had a deal on the table for a two-year ... I think it was $12 million, $6 million a year for Ray," Perkins added. "Ray wasn't calling nobody, he didn't answer nobody's phone calls. All of a sudden, he signs a two-year $6 million deal with the Heat. So it's like a slap in the face, with no warning, no nothing."
It's easy to see Allen's disposition on the Celtics. Before his Boston tenure, Allen was among the best solo acts in the league, becoming a franchise cornerstone for the Bucks and Sonics. In Milwaukee, he led the Bucks to the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals. Four years later, he helped the Sonics to the Western Conference semifinals in 2005, becoming one of the best shooters in league history.
A transition to supporting act in Boston is a tough ask, considering Allen's résumé. Add the trade rumors and you see why Allen wanted to leave.
In Golden State, Durant was struggling with his own disposition. Even after Durant won his first title in 2017, his teammates sensed a change in him. He wasn't as happy as he thought he'd be. He spent time on social media, eagerly looking at how he was covered, not fulfilled by his biggest professional accomplishment, even pondering an exit. By the eve of his final season in Golden State, his teammates were beginning to take notice.
"Beginning of the year, I told (Warriors general manager) Bob (Myers) and (coach) Steve (Kerr): 'I'm struggling with Kevin right now," Draymond Green told Showtime's All the Smoke Podcast. "I need some help. It's frustrating and I need some help.' Nobody did s--t. So I'm kind of stuck in this position."
[RELATED: Perkins regrets feud with KD, calls him best Warrior ever]
Durant and Allen's experience aren't outliers. Dynasties come with dysfunction. The Chicago Bulls of the 1990s were undone at their peak. General manager Jerry Krause wanted credit for the team he assembled around Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Notoriously underpaid Pippen asked for a trade in the middle of a title run, while Jordan and coach Phil Jackson openly clashed with Krause. Years later, the Lakers owner Jerry Buss had to choose between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal amid their publicized beef.
Putting together star power means putting together egos that ultimately can lead to the undoing of the group altogether. But that's the cost of winning at a high level.