Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors are rumored to be in the mix for Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry has been leading the charge on the recruiting effort, per a new report.
Curry gave an even-keeled response to the rumors last week, but he’s doing behind-the-scenes work trying to unite with Durant, per Ric Bucher of Fox Sports.
“A league source says Curry has reached out several times to Durant, eager to improve his chances of winning a fifth championship and surpassing LeBron James, with whom Curry is currently tied at four titles each,” Bucher wrote in a story on July 12.
There are a few red flags with that report from Bucher, the most prominent being that Curry just led Golden State to the title with a strong core of Draymond Green and Klay Thompson around him, along with rapidly rising stars Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. To land Durant, the Warriors would have to give up quite the haul, shaking up what has proved to be a good thing while mortgaging the future.
When asked at last weekend’s American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament about the prospect of landing Durant, Curry did not sound overly eager for the Warriors to pull off a deal.
“The rumor mill and all that stuff is part of the nature of the NBA and league,” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area. “You take it for what it is. You know how quickly things can change, but I like where we’re at.”
Windhorst: Durant to Warriors Is a ‘Discussion’
It was previously reported by Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic that the Warriors’ stars were informed of a possible trade and open to the possibility. However, aggresivley pursuing it, as Bucher is reporting, is an entirely different story.
However, the idea of Durant landing back with the Warriors is a “discussion,” per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who pointed to neither Curry nor Warriors owner Joe Lacob shutting down the conversation when asked about it.
“There’s legitimate sources in the league telling me that it’s a discussion,” Windhorst said during a July 13 appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show”. “First off, the Warriors always believe in open throttle. The Warriors have shown they don’t care what they spend. … This has been a discussion inside the Warriors organization. [Steph] Curry’s been asked about it, and Curry gave a nonanswer. But he didn’t shut it down. He didn’t say, ‘Hell no.'”
League Not Happy With Durant’s Trade Saga
Durant is coming off a disappointing season in Brooklyn, getting swept in the first round. However, he is still one of the best players in the game, averaging 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game last season.
Durant, 32, wants to compete for another title, which he feels he can’t do in Brooklyn. However, NBA commisioner Adam Silver doesn’t think the former MVP’s actions are ideal for the league.
“Look, this needs to be a two-way street. Teams provide enormous security (and) guarantees to players,” Silver said at a news conference at the annual NBA Board of Governors meeting. “The expectation is, in return, that they’ll meet their end of the bargain. I’m realistic that there’s always going to be conversations that go on behind closed doors between players, their representatives, and the teams, but we don’t like to see players requesting trades. We don’t like to see it playing out the way it is.”
We’ll see where Durant ends up going — if anywhere — but the Warriors are still a prominent part of the conversation.