Getty Golden State Warriors stars Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry celebrate during a 2019 playoff game against the LA Clippers.
Golden State Warriors president Bob Myers is pretty much living every NBA decision-maker’s dream right now. While 29 other GMs agonize over how they’re going to get their team to the promised land, the Dubs’ top exec can rest easy knowing he’s already there.
His club just brought home the chip, and he’s fully confident in its ability to do so again in 2022-23.
“I like our team and where it’s at,” Myers told NBA.com‘s Mark Medina in July. “I want to give the guys a chance to do it again.”
That’s not to say, though, that he’s checking out or resting on his laurels. If an opportunity to get significantly better arises, Myers will be ready to pounce. As such, fans and pundits alike have been weighing the merits of a push for former Warrior Kevin Durant ever since he requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets earlier this summer.
Whether or not a KD trade is a legitimate possibility — or even an advisable move — is a point for debate. But that didn’t stop Bleacher Report‘s Zach Buckley from pitching a home-run swing for the 12-time All-Star.
The Latest Deal
On Friday, Buckley dropped a batch of 30 fresh trade proposals in an effort to identify deals improving every NBA starting five. With the Warriors, he went back to KD well with the following move:
- Brooklyn Nets receive G/F Andrew Wiggins, G/F Jordan Poole, C James Wiseman, G Ryan Rollins and two future first-round picks
- Golden State Warriors receive F Kevin Durant
As ever, the dilemma here is whether the Warriors ought to be breaking up their impressive collection of blue-chip prospects and rising stars.
The dual-timeline approach may be a funky one, but it worked to perfection last season. There’s comfort in knowing that the youngsters are there to eventually take the baton from the Steph-Klay-Dray core as it ages out, too. On the other hand, a big, star-grabbing move could be a major boon in the short term. And the trade proposed here doesn’t totally empty the coffers.
“This deal might decimate the young nucleus — though, in this iteration, the Warriors would be spared from parting with Jonathan Kuminga — but it would turbo-charge the veteran core,” wrote Buckley.
It’s worth noting that Brooklyn would still have to figure out what to do with Ben Simmons to make this trade possible. NBA rules forbid the trade acquisition of a player on a designated rookie extension when another is already on the roster. In this case, Wiggins and Simmons are the relevant parties.
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Proof of Concept
While the Dub Nation denizens have a tendency to rail against trade pitches that include the team’s prized youngsters — and understandably so — it’s worth noting that outside of Poole, none of the up-and-comers played a real role in delivering a championship to the Bay last season. And there’s no guarantee that they’ll live up to their potential in the future, either.
Durant, meanwhile, is a known quantity; a top 10 player in the Association who has already helped lead the Warriors to titles (plural, with an s at the end).
Added Buckley: “The last time Durant linked up with Thompson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney, the quintet thrashed opponents by 17.2 points per 100 possessions. It was round-ball wizardry back then, and there’s no reason to believe this time would be any different.”
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