The idea of a reunion between the Golden State Warriors and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant has to be seen as a pipe dream. KD left the Bay Area under less-than stellar circumstances following the 2018-19 season. Golden State is coming off its fourth title in eight years and boasts a number of young talents.
There’s absolutely no way these Warriors would give up those youngsters and draft pick assets, right?
Well, according to NBA insider Marc Spears, Golden State is interested in acquiring Durant from the Nets. Spears goes on to note that the Warriors are a team to “keep an eye on” while suggesting that the Warriors “could potentially offer up the best package for KD.
Durant, 33, requested a trade from Brooklyn late last week. Since then, over half of the league has put in calls to inquire about the 12-time All-Star. He’s primarily been linked to the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat.
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Does Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors even make sense?
Given what the Minnesota Timberwolves paid to acquire Rudy Gobert, it’s safe to say that Durant would require an historic bounty.
From Golden State’s perspective, it would have to send stud forward Andrew Wiggins back in a potential three-team trade (Wiggins can’t be acquired by Brooklyn under NBA rules unless it trades Ben Simmons). From there, the Warriors would have to give up youngsters Jonathan Kuminga, Jordan Poole and James Wiseman as part of a package that would also likely include several first-round picks heading to Brooklyn.
No, this doesn’t make sense from a long-term perspective for the defending champs. Short-term, a healthy Durant makes the Golden State Warriors the obvious title favorites over the next 2-3 years.
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- Kevin Durant stats (2021-22): 29.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 6.4 APG, 52% shooting, 38% 3-point
We’re just not seeing it as a reasonable possibility for the Warriors. They have continually pushed back against giving up these young players in the past. Moving them for a player in KD who is turning 34 and has injury concerns doesn’t make sense. Add in his split with the Warriors a few years back, and that’s magnified further.
None of this takes into the fact that Kevin Durant might not even want to return to the Golden State Warriors. Imagine the narrative if he heads back to the Bay Area after they won a title without him while he struggled to lead the Nets to championship contention.