Getty Kevin Durant congratulates Steph Curry during a Golden State Warriors game.
Even though the Golden State Warriors have shut down any notion that there would be a reunion with Kevin Durant, the Warriors continue to pop up as a team who would make the most sense to acquire him from the Nets.
ESPN Andscape’s Marc J. Spears was the first reporter to attach the Warriors to Durant, after the former Warrior made his trade request on June 30.
Spears elaborated on a radio interview with KNBR on July 5, about the due diligence that the Dubs front office did with interest in Durant.
“A call is a call, and that’s what Bob Myers makes all the time. So, I think people shouldn’t put the cart in front of the horse, but there was a phone call.”
Having said that, The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson did say that it was unlikely Durant would return to the Bay Area, given how the Dubs have been focused on developing and contending at the same time.
A rival Western Conference executive told Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney that the Dubs have the best package that any team could offer for Durant.
“So, put aside all the bullsh** that happened when Durant left, it’s a perfect scenario. Wiggins, Wiseman, Kuminga, and a future pick and it is a deal Brooklyn would have a hard time saying no to.”
This is a pretty big package that would be tough for the Warriors to swallow, but acquiring a player like Durant with four years of service left is going to command a lot. The executive adds that this is by far the best package that Brooklyn would get around the league.
“If you can put aside all the bitterness from the two sides, it’s the easiest deal to make of anything Brooklyn is looking at right now. You have three young players you can put into a deal—Moses Moody, (James) Wiseman, (Jonathan) Kuminga—and all of them have value around the NBA. Like, big value because they’re associated with the Warriors, they won a championship. You don’t have to give up all three. You’ve got two rookies coming in, Patrick Baldwin and (Ryan) Rollins. They can’t make deals with those guys until later if they sign. They only owe one pick (in 2024) going forward, they can load up on picks. And you have a guy who can match salaries, Andrew Wiggins.”
Cost Would Be Steep
Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported recently that the framework for a Durant package would be one All-Star level player, and a wide range of draft picks. This is probably one variation of an offer that the Nets would even consider entertaining.
Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo said on “The Posted Up” podcast with Chris Haynes that the Nets asked the Wolves for Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and four draft picks. The Wolves shot that down, as that is just too steep of a price for even a superstar like Durant.
Durant would command more than what the Wolves got in the Rudy Robert trade, and Minnesota gave up five first-round draft picks (including this year’s first-rounder Walker Kessler) and four players. If teams gave up more than this for Durant’s services, that would for sure gut most of their rosters.
Warriors-Durant Reunion Would Be a Nightmare for the Rest of the League
However, the Dubs are in a unique situation where they can trade a lot of assets for Durant while keeping their championship core intact. But like Thompson said, doing this kind of deal would go against the entire fabric of what Myers and owner Joe Lacob have been preaching all season.
Acquiring Durant would likely close the desire for long-term relevance for the team, but a roster with the addition of Durant is potentially even more deadly than the previous three years he had with the Warriors.
Fans will be watching closely all summer to see if the Warriors are willing to pull the trigger and change the entire dynamic of the Warriors roster again. The team is saying they are not interested for now, but crazier things happen in this league.