Getty Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors speaks to the media after defeating the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game Six to win the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 16, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are widely regarded as one of the greatest duos to ever play in the NBA. In the three seasons the two stars played with the Golden State Warriors, they made three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals, winning two championships. Durant was the Most Valuable Player in the Finals for both of those titles.
Durant departed from the Warriors in 2019 to join the Brooklyn Nets in hopes of creating his legacy outside of the Bay. For those who may be tardy to the party, Durant had not won a ring before coming to the Warriors. And his decision to join the franchise was controversial after his Oklahoma City Thunder blew a 3-1 lead to Golden State in the Western Conference Finals a mere weeks before joining them.
But Durant’s quest to build his legacy in Brooklyn has been a fail so far. And after failing to make it out of the second round of the playoffs in three seasons, the 12-time All-Star has requested a trade. On the June 11 edition of ESPN’s “Get Up!” NBA insider Brian Windhorst said that despite an unsavory departure from the franchise in 2019, Curry is open to a reunion with his former All-Star teammate.
“I think this says a lot about the Warriors organization — that they would be coming off a championship, and Steph Curry coming off a crowning moment in his career, and he wouldn’t slam the door shut on this,” Windhorst said.“Steph Curry has the kind of clout where he could shut this down, but he’s not, and [Warriors owner] Joe Lacob is not.”
“Steph Curry’s got the kind of clout where he can shut this down, but he’s not.” 👀
—@WindhorstESPN on the rumors that KD will join the Warriors
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Klay & Draymond Also Open to Durant Reunion
Curry isn’t the only Warriors star who is open to a rekindling with Durant. According to Marcus Thompson II of “The Athletic”, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are also on board. As defending NBA champions, they are content with the challenge of running it back with the roster they have now. However, if the opportunity presents itself, the Warriors stars would be hesitant to decline.
“This isn’t a case where the Warriors stars are pressing the front office to go acquire Durant. Sources made it clear they are fine defending their title with Wiggins, Poole, and the young players they’ve been grooming to win with them. But if the universe somehow sets it up so legends reunite, they’d be open to it,” Thompson writes.
“The talent of the Curry-Durant-Green-Thompson quartet was never in question. How the run ended is the source of uncertainty. But the vibes of their conversations this offseason suggest they could click again.”
Dubs Open to Reunion, but Is the Feeling Mutual?
It shouldn’t be surprising that the Warriors stars are open to a reunion with their former star teammate. After all, they were arguably one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. And if not for a slew of catastrophic injuries in 2019, they could have been the first team to three-peat since the Kobe and Shaq Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-2002. With Durant set to enter the first year of a 4-year, $198 million max extension, they could have a second crack at making history.
But the question remains on how open Durant would be to a reunion with his former teammates. After an unceremonious exit from the franchise, and a failed experiment with the Nets, joining the Warriors, one season removed from a fourth title since 2015 would indeed add to the narrative that he can’t win outside of the Warriors system. It will be interesting to see if a reunion comes to fruition.
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