For months, the Golden State Warriors have been linked to Kevin Durant’s upcoming free agency. Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in February that it’s a legitimate possibility, and the Warriors will be able to clear the necessary cap space fairly easily, simply by letting Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli walk and unloading the contract of either Andrew Bogut or Andre Iguodala.
Unsurprisingly, with the Warriors up 2-0 on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals and seemingly en route to their second straight title, the players on the team aren’t really thinking about Durant right now. And not only that, but some of them don’t really see the point in trying to add him when what they have right now is working so well.
Bogut told NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper that the players are confused by the constant rumors and speculation about Durant.
“Guys have definitely asked questions,” center Andrew Bogut told NBA.com. “We’re not immune to it. We’ve seen it. We’ve seen the rumors, heard the rumors, all that kind of stuff. Different guys at different times have been scratching their head and thinking, ‘Why?’ The only way we can dispel all that stuff is maybe we’ve got to win five straight. Who knows? It’s one of those things we can’t really control, but we can control trying to make them make a tough decision.”
It’s a good problem to have if you’re the Warriors. Adding Durant, one of the three best players in the NBA, would seem to be a no-brainer if the opportunity presents itself. But it’s difficult to look at a group that just won a championship, then set the NBA record for wins in a regular season, and that has so far been dominant in the Finals, and think that blowing up some of their depth is the right move – even if you’re bringing in a player as good as Durant.
The Warriors have Klay Thompson and Draymond Green locked up long-term, and it’s difficult to imagine Stephen Curry going anywhere when he hits free agency in 2017. But it’s been the Warriors’ depth that has carried them thus far in the Finals — Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa were the heroes in Game 1 when Curry and Thompson had cold shooting nights. Messing with something that’s working as well as anything in the history of the NBA is difficult to justify.
On the other hand, Warriors management isn’t going to be able to keep this roster together forever. If they want to bring back Barnes and Ezeli this summer, they’re going to have to match the max or near-max offer sheets both players are going to get from other teams. Iguodala only has one more year on his contract, and with his importance to the Warriors’ defense, he’s probably going to command a raise. And that’s before we get to the matter of paying Curry, who’s currently on an absurdly cheap contract paying him $12 million per year, and who will get upwards of $30 million annually on his next deal. As great as this group is, they might reach the point of diminishing returns if they keep it together for too long.
All of this, though, is assuming Durant even wants to go to Golden State after the Thunder’s 3-1 collapse against them in the Western Conference Finals. He’ll explore his options, but the smart play for him is to stay in Oklahoma City on a short-term deal and then re-evaluate things later.
