No way, right? No way Kevin Durant comes back to the Warriors … right?
Well, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Golden State is at least kicking the tires on the idea. The longtime NBA insider joined The Dan Patrick Show Wednesday and offered his latest insights on Durant and the possibility he comes back to the Bay Area.
“There’s legitimate sources in the league telling me that it’s a discussion,” Windhorst said. “First off, I think that the Warriors always believe in open throttle. The Warriors have shown that they don’t care what they spend. They spent $350 million this year on this team. And the Warriors have shown that they aren’t afraid – they went out and got Durant in the first place. Before last season – now granted, they didn’t know they had a championship team, they know now they do – they kicked the tires on (Washington Wizards star) Bradley Beal.”
Durant played with the Warriors for three seasons from 2017-19, winning back-to-back rings and Finals MVPs. After tearing his Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals, Durant relocated to the Brooklyn Nets. He recently requested a trade, which has set off another NBA summer full of rampant speculation.
A huge piece of this puzzle is Steph Curry, the face of the franchise. How would he feel about bringing KD back?
“It says a lot about Steph Curry,” Windhorst said, “that Steph is willing to subjugate to Durant in the past. This has been a discussion in the Warriors organization. Curry has been asked about it. Curry gave a non-answer, he didn’t shut it down. He didn’t say, ‘Hell no,’ which he has every right to do.”
The Warriors have a good thing going right now and acquiring Durant would require a sizable haul, perhaps centered around Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole or the team’s young nucleus of Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman.
Golden State would be taking a gamble by blowing up a team that just won the title and suffered some key role-player losses in free agency. Perhaps Windhorst – who infamously coined the phrase “checkbook win” earlier this year – is incorrect in thinking owner Joe Lacob has endless pockets. The Warriors likely would have loved to bring back Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. in free agency this offseason but didn’t foot the bill likely due to skyrocketing luxury tax reasons.
Lacob recently appeared on Tim Kawakami’s podcast “The TK Show” on The Athletic and discussed the Warriors’ offseason. Windhorst said we can get legit insight from the tenor of his conversation this year, compared to the same interview he held with Kawakami last year.
“He basically said, ‘Hell no, we’re not trading forBen Simmons’ and he was fined $50,000 for saying Ben Simmons’ name,” Windhorst said. “But he said, ‘Hell no.’ Again listen to actions. This time he’s asked about Kevin Durant. He never uses the word, ‘No,’ in fact he won’t even say the word, ‘Kevin Durant’ because he’s learned he can’t say the name because it’ll cost you money. So he doesn’t say the name, but he doesn’t say, ‘No.’
“Do I think it’s likely? On the pie chart of things to happen, is it a big slice? I don’t. But I also don’t think that I should dismiss it based on what I’m being told.”
Strap in, Dub Nation. The rumors and rumblings might just get louder.
As Chris Mullin noted, the Warriors are in a “unique position” to acquire Durant with their championship core. For now, Windhorst said the Nets aren’t happy with the trade proposals and could be posturing for a bigger return, as Kyrie Irving reportedly is warming up to the idea of coming back to Brooklyn.
“They don’t like their offers,” Windhorst said. “It’s a complex reason why Durant isn’t getting higher offers. He’s obviously a very valued player, but there just hasn’t been a bidding war developed for him because of various reasons. Now they’re indicating that they’re maybe retrenching.”
In other words, stay tuned. There are a lot of moving parts and ways this could go, but those No. 35 Dubs jerseys might still be relevant in the future.
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