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The Kevin Durant saga has finally reached its conclusion in Brooklyn, and the Golden State Warriors are already feeling the ramifications.
After asking the Nets for a trade earlier this summer and then reiterating his request to owner Joe Tsai, Durant ultimately blinked and announced that he will be staying with Brooklyn. While the decision keeps Durant from joining one of Golden State’s Western Conference rivals, oddsmakers believe it will still make a steeper path for the Warriors to repeat as champions.
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Warriors Title Odds Sink With Durant’s Decision
As Tom Dierberger of NBC Sports Bay Area noted, the Warriors were seen as the second-best bet to win the title prior to Durant’s decision, tied with the Los Angeles Clippers and behind only the Boston Celtics. But now that Durant and Kyrie Irving have both decided to stay with the Nets and will join a healthy Ben Simmons next season, the Nets saw their title odds increase while Golden State took a hit.
“Golden State saw its odds dip from +650 to +700, tying the Milwaukee Bucks for the third-best odds in the league,” Dierberger wrote. “The Warriors still trail the Celtics, who saw their odds decrease from +450 to +500. The Clippers stayed in place at +650 and jumped ahead of Golden State.”
The Warriors’ odds could have taken an even bigger hit had the Nets traded Durant, however. The Phoenix Suns were seen as a major contender, and had they landed Durant it would have created a formidable roadblock for the Warriors. Just a day before Durant’s decision was announced, reports indicated that the Memphis Grizzlies were also jumping into the Durant trade mix, which would have created another Western Conference super-team to compete with Golden State.
One NBA executive told Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett that the Warriors were most concerned about Durant ending up with a direct rival and blocking their path to another title.
“I think they’re worried about where KD might wind up,” the executive told Bulpett. “(The Warriors) are in a good spot. They’ve got young guys behind their veterans, and they could be really good for a long time, so I’m not sure they really want KD. But I think they’re worried he might go someplace and beat them — if that team isn’t all depleted from what they have to do to get him.”
Warriors Still a Factor
As The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor believes that Durant’s history with the Warriors could have played at least a small part in his decision to stick with the Nets. As O’Connor noted, Durant faces lingering criticism for his decision to sign with a Warriors team that had already won two titles behind Steph Curry. Staying with the Nets could offer Durant a chance to build some legacy that belongs only to him.
“Right or wrong, Durant’s two titles in Golden State are remembered by a large segment of the population as his riding the coattails of a Warriors team led by Steph Curry,” he wrote. “Staying with the Nets is Durant’s chance to do things his way with the organization he chose.”
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