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When Kevin Durant requested a trade with the Brooklyn Nets last week, the general belief was that 28 other NBA teams should be interested in acquiring one of the top scorers in NBA history. Some franchises may not stand a chance, but they should all be interested.
The only team that could be automatically eliminated was the Warriors, given their history with Durant and the fact that they just won the NBA title without him, right?
Not so fast.
Andscape’s Marc J. Spears reported Sunday, citing sources, that the Warriors do indeed have “interest” in Durant, in addition to “half the league.”
Spears took to ESPN Radio to further explain why it makes sense.
“The only team I should tell you guys is the Golden State Warriors,” Spears said. “Golden State could have the best package for both parties. Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, All-Star Andrew Wiggins, former No. 2 pick James Wiseman. What the Nets want is a young All-Star and maybe a future All-Star. They’re all under 30. They also want picks, maybe the ability to trade picks. But if you can get those four players when I’m the Nets, I’m very, very happy.
“For Kevin Durant, the Warriors are — they’re very familiar with [Durant] and vice versa. He knows where to live in San Francisco. He knows how the offensive works. He knows he can win a championship there. Yes, Steve Kerr would probably need to figure out a few things. But with each passing day this goes on, I’ve heard that the warriors are interested in young prey, in people happy on both sides. For me, the Golden State option is the best option.”
Well that seems like a huge package of players that the Warriors will have to give up for Durant. And it is. But it does match Brooklyn’s reported asking price.
The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported Friday, citing sources, that the Nets are looking for an “established All-Star and a mountain of picks.”
As unlikely as it would be for the Warriors to bring Durant back, the ironic part is that after everything they’ve been through since his departure in 2019, they now have arguably the best package of young players available to win him over . And unlike other teams vying for Durant, they wouldn’t completely hollow out their roster to make it.
Other teams that trade an “Established All-Stars” or two for Durant may have no remaining championship roster. But the Warriors would still have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney.
As for the draft pick part of the equation, the Warriors only have one future first-round pick tied to another trade. Ironically, when Durant left in 2019, it forced Golden State to sell Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies, and they fortified their 2024 first-round pick with top-four protection.
Barring a catastrophic breakdown in the standings, the Warriors will pass that pick to the Grizzlies in 2024. This leaves the Warriors with their picks for 2023, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029.
The Utah Jazz got four future first-round picks from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Rudy Gobert. But the players they got back weren’t as strong as the Warriors Brooklyn could possibly offer. Could the better player pack reduce the number of draft picks in the deal? That remains to be seen.
Whether or not the Warriors are a legitimate contender for Durant’s landing remains to be seen over the next few days or weeks. They are certainly one of the teams best equipped to meet Brooklyn’s asking price.
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But would he even want to return to a place he left because he never felt like he belonged? Would the Warriors even want to recreate the media circus that swept over them from 2016-2019? Would Curry welcome Durant a second time? Does it even make sense to trade all these young assets, who fit well into the Warriors system and represent the future of the franchise, for a man who turns 34 in September?
A reunion that looked like a “non-starter” now has some legs. Time will tell if it was all a smoke screen or if the super villains will get back together.
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