Kevin Durant to the Warriors May Not be a Match Made in Heaven
Kevin Durant is a free agent at the end of this season and he has been linked to the Golden State Warriors. While it may seem great, it may not be a smart option for the Warriors to pursue.
The Golden State Warriors are absolutely destroying their competition, compiling a 45-4 record.
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They are beating teams by an average of 13 points per game. Stephen Curry is having another MVP season, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson are All-Stars and the Warriors are on their way to becoming the best team in NBA history. Despite all these accolades, the most talked about topic with this team is whether or not they should add Kevin Durant to the mix.
At first glance, this seems like a no-brainer, acquiring a top-5 player to go with an All-Star lineup. Durant is one of the most prolific scorers in the game and is hungry to win a championship. He would be a definite upgrade over current small forward, Harrison Barnes, who has struggled this season with injuries and his play. It sounds like a match made in heaven but this move would have some repercussions.
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The addition of Durant would hurt the Warriors’ depth. In order for the Warriors to acquire the seven-time All-Star, the Warriors would have to give up Barnes, Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut in a sign-and-trade with Oklahoma City, three key players that led this team to a championship last season. Durant will also cost the Warriors $30 million per season and with Curry garnering the same amount in 2017, will hurt the depth even more. The signing of Durant will prevent the organization from signing “glue guys” (i.e. Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa and Marreese Speights), a key part to any perennial championship contender. Instead the Warriors will have to fill their roster with veteran minimum contracts and players past their primes.
The Warriors do not want to lose their defensive edge by getting rid of two of their best for someone who has never taken that challenge. Iguodala and Bogut, two of the Warriors’ best defenders, seem to be getting better with age while having immeasurable value to the club. Iguodala was so valuable last season that he arguably turned the NBA Finals around with his defense on LeBron James and his insertion into the starting lineup for Bogut.
Bogut was the first piece to the Warriors’ puzzle that turned this organization from a team that tried to outscore their opponent every night to the defensive stalwart that they are today. The lost of Bogut would put a considerable amount of pressure on Festus Ezeli, who has been hampered by injuries this season and throughout his career. Ezeli may be ready to step into a starting role but the center duo is one of the best in the game and there is no reason to break that up.
As for Barnes, he can be really good when he is aggressive, driving to the rim and hitting his corner threes. But as Warriors fans know, he disappears on offense, losing his aggressiveness, playing with the sharp shooters of Curry and Thompson and playmaker Green. Barnes has been dealing with an ankle injury for most of the season, which may be the reason for lack of aggressiveness.
There is no doubt that Durant is a significantly better player than Barnes but with the loss of Iguodala and Bogut, is it really worth it?
if there's one thing that could mess up the Warriors' season, it might be all the Kevin Durant talk. https://t.co/JJnxgxh3c4
— Matt Steinmetz (@SteinmetzNBA) February 3, 2016
The Durant acquisition could also hurt the Warriors’ incredible chemistry. Durant is used to being an alpha dog and we do not know if Durant would defer to Curry. In order for this experiment to work, Durant needs to be unselfish, move the basketball and take what is given to him. Durant’s game thrives off of isolation plays, something the Warriors scoff at with the exception of Curry. Durant will need to learn how to play in a motion offense, not force shots and trust his teammates that they will put him in a spot to succeed.
Adding another superstar would be nice but why break up something that is already incredible?
In addition to deferring to Curry, on some nights, he may have to defer to Thompson. As crazy as that sounds, it will happen. Thompson can get hotter than anyone, including Curry so if this were to happen, Durant could be the third option on some nights. Could he accept being the third option on a team even if that team is bound to compete for multiple championships?
Durant will be much more comfortable in Oklahoma City, Washington or Los Angeles (Clippers or Lakers) where he will be the first option. The Warriors will be just fine without Durant because they have shown that they are a championship contender that is destined to win multiple championships, barring injury. The loss of depth, chemistry issues and Durant’s contract are all factors in why this will not work and why he is better off staying in OKC or leading another team.
Adding another superstar would be nice but why break up something that is already incredible? The Warriors should not mess with a good thing and if they don’t, they will be rewarded with many championships to come.