Getty Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant look on during a 2019 playoff game between the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers.
Three weeks have passed since former Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Nets. And while the 12-time All-Star is still in Brooklyn as of this writing, rumblings of a potential move for KD are running as strong now as they were on June 30.
Considering their commitment to the current roster and their dual-timeline strategy, the Warriors have popped up in the Durant chatter with surprising frequency. There’s a whole lot to be said about a potential reunion, too.
Golden State went to three Finals and captured two NBA championships with Durant in the fold, and that iteration of the club is considered by many to be the greatest assembly of talent in league history. Who wouldn’t want to revisit something so successful?
Even as there have been reports of both sides being open to a renewed partnership, though, one league insider just threw a bit of a wet blanket on the notion that it could actually happen.
B/R’s Fischer Characterizes Dubs’ KD Overtures
On Tuesday, Bleacher Report‘s Jake Fischer went deep on players who could be in line for rookie extension paydays, a group that includes Warriors wing Jordan Poole. That discussion veered into KD territory real quick, however, as Poole is a player the team may have to sacrifice in a trade for the superstar.
As Fischer sees it, though, there’s nothing doing on that particular front at this time.
“While Poole has been rumored as a potential piece in a theoretical Warriors trade package to land Durant, there has been little traction between Golden State and Brooklyn on such a blockbuster transaction,” reported Fischer.
Not only that: the Dubs apparently haven’t made much of an effort to engage the Nets on a deal.
“Despite the apparent openness — both from Warriors veterans and Durant himself — regarding a superstar reunion in the Bay, Golden State has not been categorized as a team that’s made serious overtures to pry Durant from Barclays Center,” Fischer added.
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But What About Poole’s Payday?
Regarding Poole’s contract extension, Fischer isn’t so sure that Golden State is in a hurry to get something done. As he sees it, there’s at least a chance that letting him play out the year and become a restricted free agent is the better option:
Strategically, Golden State has every financial incentive to let Poole play his fourth year without a new deal framework. Unlike [Jalen] Brunson, Poole would enter next summer as a restricted free agent.
And if he repeats, or even improves upon, his sizzling production in 2022-23, the Warriors likely won’t blink an eye at rewarding Poole with a maximum deal, solidifying the franchise’s bridge into a post-Steph Curry era.
If Poole regresses—or simply entrenches himself as a strong starter-level player rather than a budding All-Star—then Golden State might be able to find an agreement closer to Anfernee Simons’ four-year, $100 million deal with Portland this summer.
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