The aftermath of the 2019 NBA Finals was about as disastrous as it gets for the Golden State Warriors. Both Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant suffered season-ending injuries while Durant seemingly had one foot out the door as he entered free agency.
And yet, it could have been worse.
How much worse? According to a new report from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the two-time finals MVP was “not keen” on being included in a sign-and-trade.
Durant originally did not want to be traded, instead preferring to use his status as an unrestricted free agent to join the Nets outright.
Had this happened, the Warriors would have been left with nothing as KD joined the Nets.
The sign-and-trade that sent Kevin Durant to Brooklyn almost didn’t happen as the Golden State Warriors scrambled to satisfy everybody.
Why didn’t Durant just join the Nets on his own accord?
This question is often at the core of every sign-and-trade. Unlike a usual two-party deal, the S&T needs to make sense for both teams and the players included. However, the issue was less about Durant, who was quickly convinced to buy into the deal because of his relationship with the Warriors’ front office.
"“But the bedrock of this entire deal was the goodwill that had been built between Myers, Durant and Kleiman during their short-lived, but successful run together”ESPN"
Instead, the most difficult part was convincing D’Angelo Russell to join the Warriors. With this many moving pieces, it’s a miracle the Warriors were able to pull it off.
The ramifications of this deal falling through the cracks are significant.
No sign-and-trade means no D’Angelo Russell — which means no Andrew Wiggins for the Warriors. Or Jonathan Kuminga, for that matter, as the Timberwolves included a 2021 first round NBA Draft pick in the deal for D-Lo.
Considering Wiggins has become a key component to a potential championship team and Kuminga is shaping up to be a rising star, I’d say it’s a pretty good thing the Dubs managed to get this deal done.