Westbrook: Durant's 'always gonna have my back and I'll always have his'

Russell Westbrook appreciated Kevin Durant calling Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban an "idiot," and was touched by his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate's defense of him, the superstar point guard said Wednesday.

"It was very important (to me)," Westbrook said, according to ESPN's Royce Young, when asked about Durant jumping in to admonish Cuban's questionable assessment that Westbrook is "not a superstar."

"Me and Kevin's relationship is great. He's like my brother," Westbrook continued. "We talk about different things, not just basketball-related. He's always gonna have my back and I'll always have his."

The bromance between Durant and Westbrook has existed for a long time, even when earlier on in their careers some suggested the two weren't compatible offensively. In 2014, KD called Russ his "favorite teammate" at the ESPY awards.

It's a dynamic worth noting as the NBA looks ahead to Durant's free-agency sweepstakes, with some speculating that the 2014 MVP may sign a one-year deal with the Thunder in order to maximize the league's rising salary cap over the next two summers. If Durant did pursue that course, both he and Westbrook would be unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2017.