For at least a moment, Golden State Warriors fans could forget about what may loom in the offseason. The Warriors, without Kevin Durant, pulled through in Game 6 to beat the Houston Rockets and return to the Western Conference Finals once more.
Even with Durant injured and on the bench with DeMarcus Cousins, Golden State is obviously one of the league’s best, and the rest of the Association got a reminder of that when the Rockets — which believed they were built for this exact playoff series — were found wanting once more. It’s bitter disappointment for James Harden and company, who had every opportunity to seize a Game 7 and last season were a game away from beating Golden State as well.
Still, there is the question of what happens next. The Warriors haven’t had the most cohesive of seasons, Durant may leave and even some other Warriors stars have been asked about potential turmoil over and over again. But while Durant may leave, the Warriors certainly have plans to keep around the team’s Splash Brothers.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob told ESPN after Game 6 that the franchise hopes to keep Steph Curry and Klay Thompson many years into the future.
“Obviously, my intention is to keep them as part of our organization forever,” Lacob told ESPN. “That’s our goal. We’ll see what happens.”
As ESPN notes, Lacob can’t say that he wants to offer Klay a max contract extension, but it seems entirely likely that’s where it leads. And the sharpshooter has said he’s happy in Golden State again and again — why wouldn’t you be after all those titles and the chance to step up big once more in a Game 6. But it’s a stark contrast to what’s going on with Durant, who everyone thinks is heading elsewhere this summer. Golden State will be worse off without him, for sure, but the future is still bright if the Splash Brothers stick around forever.
