LOS ANGELES -- Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant will face the Los Angeles Clippers this evening for the first time since having a chance to join them via free agency last offseason.

He said their recruitment of him was tough to turn down.

"Blake [Griffin], DJ [DeAndre Jordan] and CP [Chris Paul]. That's what made it interesting," Durant said after Wednesday's morning shootaround. "Those three guys are tremendous, and unbelievable talents. They made it tough on me."

The Clippers were one of six teams to meet with Durant over the summer in the Hamptons. They had a significant shot at wooing him to Los Angeles because of Durant's close relationship with Jordan.

Kevin Durant's friendship with Clippers star DeAndre Jordan made it difficult for him to turn down L.A. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

During the courting process, Durant said, Jordan wasn't too aggressive but let it be known that the Clippers wanted him to fill their small forward spot.

"More than anything, he was just a real friend," Durant said of Jordan. "At the end of the day, he wanted me to come to the Clippers, but at the end of the day, he didn't care. He was going to be my friend no matter what. And I kind of gravitated toward just being around that and wanting to be around genuine friendships no matter who you play for, what you do, what decisions you make. That's why I was around him more so than anything."

According to Durant, when he announced his decision to sign with the Warriors, Jordan just sent him a congratulations text saying how happy he was for him. The seven-time All-Star told ESPN he was "touched."

"I think when once you get to that point in your life where you can separate the two [business and friendships], it makes friendships even better," Durant said. "It makes relationships even better, and I think that's the level we're at right now."

Durant has already felt the wrath of the Boston Celtics faithful in his lone regular-season visit to TD Garden. Boston also thought Durant might come its way.

He's not expected to receive the same level of extensive boos and taunts tonight at Staples Center.

"[The Clippers] made it tough," he said. "All that other stuff, I've been in L.A. every summer. The facilities, all that stuff is the same to me. As long as you have a court and a ball. And Jamal Crawford has been a close friend of mine since I've been in the league. So the players, that's what made it tough, and they did a great job."