Getty Kevin Durant drives against the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors will be tasked with finding players to add around 36-year-old Stephen Curry this offseason. Exploring blockbuster NBA trades around the league, Grant Hughes proposed a trade that’d send Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns back to the Warriors for a massive haul.
Suns would get: Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, 2025 first-round pick
Warriors would get: Durant
“The Suns will push for an additional 2027 first-round pick, the only other one the Warriors can include, assuming this deal goes down on draft night. Meanwhile, the Dubs will try to swap in someone like Brandin Podziemski for Kuminga, whom the organization has labeled untouchable,” Hughes wrote on May 17.
With Curry only getting older, the Warriors are in a win-now situation, and Durant could give them that extra push they’ve been searching for.
“Put all those hangups aside and consider, though, that the Warriors are one of very few teams more tied to an immediate win-now timeline than the Suns.
“Stephen Curry has two more years on his deal, and it seems clear the organization is committed to surrounding him with a competitive team,” Hughes wrote. “Durant will turn 36 before next season starts and comes with health risks, but he’s probably the more valuable short-term contributor than Kuminga, Wiggins or Moody.”
Kevin Durant’s Still An Elite Scorer
Despite losing in the first round of the NBA playoffs, Kevin Durant continues to be one of the best scorers in the NBA. Adding him next to Curry would be different than it was when the 14-time All-Star was a member of the Golden State Warriors from 2016 to 2019, but he can still score the basketball with the best of them.
In the 2023-24 season, Durant averaged an efficient 27.1 points per game, shooting 52.3% from the field and 41.3% from three-point range. Durant also showed the ability to stay on the court, playing 37.2 minutes per game and appearing in 75 games.
His scoring ability will also open up the Warriors’ offense, making it easier for Curry to find his shot as Durant would have to be a key focus for opponents.
While the four-time scoring champion is known for his offensive skillset, Durant’s also an above-average defender, giving the Warriors another piece on that end.
‘You’re Each Other’s Only Hope’
With Durant and the Golden State Warriors both struggling to find team success last season, Mark Willard of 95.7 The Game said on May 13 that they’re “each other’s only hope.”
“You have almost no time left. With the young talent in the NBA, everyone will doubt adding KD will be enough anyway,” Willard said. “I can look at [the Warriors and KD] and do the Princess Leia. You’re each other’s only hope.”
For Durant, he needs to join a contender with a solid foundation already in place. The same could be said for the Warriors and they’d build that foundation by adding a player of Durant’s caliber.
After playing for the Warriors and winning two championships, the idea of pairing Curry and Durant again would reunite one of the best duos the game has ever seen.
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