The Golden State Warriors’ risk of losing Kevin Durant seems to be increasing by the day. Now, the Brooklyn Nets are the main threat to sign the superstar.
Where is Kevin Durant headed? That’s the burning question. With numerous options, the Golden State Warriors will likely do their best to keep him in the Bay Area for the long haul, but his interest in that scenario is unknown.
What we do know is what Brian Windhorst reported when he joined Rachel Nichols to talk about Durant and his unique situation.
“We’ve never seen it before in the NBA,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s The Jump. “The Nets are gaining confidence that they can pull this off.”
Via the New York Post’s Brian Lewis, Kendrick Perkins, who is supposed to have ties to Durant’s camp and joined Windhorst and Nichols on the jump, also commented on the rumors surrounding the four-time scoring champ.
"“I think they’re the front-runner. I absolutely do. I think the Nets are the front-runner to land KD,” Perkins said on “The Jump,” with reporter Brian Windhorst joining in and saying Perkins was not the only person involved with the NBA expressing that view.“I’m not ruling out the Knicks, but I think the Nets are the front-runners and people are not giving them their [respect],” Perkins said. “Sources tell me the Nets are the front-runner.”"
Durant is one of the best players in the NBA. We don’t, however, know what his injury is going to do to his athleticism and overall dominance. Durant averaged 26.0 points and a career-high 5.9 assists per game during his third season with the Warriors.
However, it almost seems likely at this point that his time in the Bay is coming to an end. That being said, he is full of options that could be a win-win for Durant. He could sign with New York or Brooklyn or even Los Angeles.
Or, as The Jump also detailed, he can sign for an extra year in Golden State and snag $57 million more than anywhere else. Since Durant probably won’t see another max contract at 34 or 35, this is the time to get the bag.
A sign-and-trade to a team of Durant’s choosing would be ideal for both parties, and Golden State could stay in championship contention with Curry, Thompson, the assets from a Durant trade, Green and most likely Looney or Cousins leading the way.
Durant signing with another team would be detrimental to the Dubs dynasty, but Durant not being Warrior next season doesn’t necessarily mean that.