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Golden State Warriors owner takes positive spin on Kevin Durant’s exodus

By Nathan Beighle

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets speaks to media during Brooklyn Nets Media Day at HSS Training Center on September 27, 2019 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 27: Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets speaks to media during Brooklyn Nets Media Day at HSS Training Center on September 27, 2019 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors watched superstar Kevin Durant leave this past offseason, but it might have been a blessing in disguise.

There’s no denying this season was tough for the Golden State Warriors.

Without four-time scoring champ and former MVP Kevin Durant, the Warriors, who also saw Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combine for five games through the team’s first 65 games, won just 15 games.

Durant, even had he returned, would’ve been out all season so the addition of D’Angelo Russell may have actually helped the team’s record. But, there’s no denying the Warriors would’ve found a way to retain Durant had he wanted to stay in the Bay Area.

Sadly, he opted to leave, not feeling as though he was clicking with the Warriors original Big 3. Heading to Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving, Durant will return to action next season.

His departure hurt some fans and put the future of the franchise in jeopardy, but if you ask Warriors’ owner Joe Lacob, it may have been for the best as Durant’s exodus has opened the door for a quick and quality rebuild.

“Maybe this is the best thing. We were able to start a rebuild a little bit earlier than we otherwise might have,” Lacob said while on the TK Show with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami.

Durant, who had been mainly on one-and-two year deals with the Warriors, signed a $164.3 million, four-year deal in Brooklyn. Tearing his Achilles in the 2019 Finals, Durant won’t return this season.

That said, Lacob also acknowledged that the Warriors can continue to move forward as a team without the star forward.

“The positive is we got a chance to move forward quicker and to move into the next phase of what we’re doing,” he also noted.

And, to be fair, he’s not wrong. Although Durant could’ve helped them be surefire Finals favorites next season, Anthony Edwards or the first-round the potential star they’ll add with their first-round pick this season could pose as the long-term face of the franchise.

Add in the fact that they brought in Russell and then dealt him for another top pick in the 2021 draft along with Andrew Wiggins, and this team is in a different and arguably better position than they would’ve been in had they re-signed Durant.

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It’s tough seeing a player of his caliber go, but the Warriors knew they’d soon be at the top of the league once again.

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