Kevin Durant, the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder beside fellow All-Star Russell Westbrook, has decided to end his tenure with the only team that he has played for in the NBA to sign with the Golden State Warriors.
Yes, you read that right. The former MVP will be adding his firepower to a squad that already won 73 games this past regular season and the same team that ended the Thunder's chase for the championship in the recently concluded 2016 Playoffs.
Why Durant Chose The Warriors
Durant revealed his decision to join the Warriors through a post on The Players' Tribune. In the post, Durant said that the primary mandate for his choice of team to sign up with would be the potential for him to grow as a player, but his evolution as a man for a city that offers the greatest potential for his contribution and personal growth also played equal importance.
The decision sent shockwaves throughout the NBA and social media. Durant's move to Golden State pushed some Thunder fans to burn his jersey similar to how Cavaliers fans burned the jersey of LeBron James after The Decision in 2010, when he chose to team up with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade for the Miami Heat. ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith even openly criticized what he says is a "weak" move by Durant on signing up with the Warriors.
"It really pains me to know that I will disappoint so many people with this choice," Durant wrote, showing that he was ready for the backlash that would come his way. Despite that, why then did Durant choose to go to the Warriors?
With the move, Durant will be joining 2016 NBA MVP Steph Curry, All-Star Klay Thompson and Draymond Green and 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala in a team that is poised to dominate the NBA for years to come. All of these players, save for Iguodala, are in the prime of their careers, which gives Durant the biggest opportunity and the most number of years as a window to chase titles, if he so chooses to continue playing for the Warriors. Nobody could argue with the fact that this decision puts Durant in the best position to shoot for championships for years to come.
A report revealed that Warriors general manager Bob Myers told Durant that even without him, the current group of Warriors might still be able to win one or two championships. Durant, with the Thunder, may also win a championship. However, with Durant joining the Warriors, the team would be able to "win a bunch."
NBA legend Jerry West, a member of the executive board of the Warriors, also called up Durant in an effort to recruit him to the team. In a nutshell, West told Durant that it would be much easier for him to win a championship in Golden State, and the other aspects of his game such as his rebounding will be appreciated in a team that already has great scorers.
Will Durant have been able to win a championship with Westbrook and the rest of the Thunder? It looks like that question will never be answered, with Durant heeding West's advice and choosing to sign up with the Warriors. While he may draw haters for supposedly taking the easy way out, it seems that Durant only has championships in mind.
The Contract And The New Look Warriors
Durant will be signing a two-year, $54.3 million contract, with a player option after the first year to either end the contract or continue with it.
To make room for Durant, the Warriors will renounce their rights to Harrison Barnes, their starting small forward for the 2015-2016 season who was criticized for his lackluster play in the 2016 NBA Finals. Barnes will be signing a four-year deal worth about $94 million with the Dallas Mavericks.
Also heading to the Mavericks is 2015-2016 season starting center Andrew Bogut, who was also called out for his defensive shortcomings last season. The Mavericks will be absorbing Bogut's $11 million salary.
The Warriors are also letting go of backup center Festus Ezeli, who will now be an unrestricted free agent, along with veterans Leandro Barbosa and Marreese Speights. Barbosa and Speights, however, could still return to the team with minimum salary or mid-level exception contracts.
The Warriors have also decided to make James Michael McAdoo and Ian Clark unrestricted free agents earlier, though only McAdoo is expected to come back to join swingman Brandon Rush at the end of the bench.
Backup guard Shaun Livingston, however, will remain with the team, with the Warriors signing Mavericks' former starting center Zaza Pachulia and presumably their new starting center to a one-year $2.9 million contract. The Warriors also have 2015 draft pick Kevon Looney and 2016 draft picks Damian Jones and Patrick McCaw on their roster.
With these moves, the starting line-up of the 2016-2017 Warriors will consist of Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green and Pachulia, with a possible bench led by Iguodala, Livingston and Speights, followed by McAdoo, Rush, and the promising Looney, Jones and McCaw.
The Rest Of The NBA
Will the new look Warriors with Durant in the fold be an unstoppable force? Will the team be able to eclipse the 73-win record that it set in the 2015-2016 regular season?
The feat will not be an easy one to achieve, especially as there will be an adjustment period with Durant joining the Warriors. However, it should be remembered that the small-ball "death lineup" of the Warriors consisting of Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Iguodala and Green blitzed the league last year en route to the record-setting regular season. The Warriors have now effectively replaced Barnes, who averaged 11 points and 5 rebounds per game, with the all-world talent of Durant.
Should the rest of the NBA be scared? According to one NBA source, the only way to guard the Warriors right now is to pray. So yes, perhaps teams should be wary of what could be the start of a dominating franchise for the next few years.
