3 Trades to bring Kevin Durant back to Golden State Warriors

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: Kevin Durant of Brooklyn Nets warms up before NBA playoffs between Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn of New York City, United States on April 25, 2022. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: Kevin Durant of Brooklyn Nets warms up before NBA playoffs between Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn of New York City, United States on April 25, 2022. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Golden State Warriors decimate their young core but save Andrew Wiggins

There is no way around it. If you want Kevin Durant back in a Golden State Warriors uniform, some members of the young core have got to go.

In this scenario, we look at what would happen if the Brooklyn Nets demanded the ultimate package of Dubs’ youngins.

For the sake of simplicity, we will not include any discussion of draft picks. It’s safe to assume that picks would be used in some form but it’s not worth arguing if Durant is worth one, two, or five future first-rounders.

Right away, this looks like a massive loss for Golden State. And… well, it is.

Using Draymond Green for the bulk of the financial side of this trade is the only real win for Golden State. They retain Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins — giving up the core player who has declined the most for Durant.

However, the cost of losing Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman and Moses Moody is one that would almost be too steep to repay. There is simply no matching the potential those three have to carry the next generation of Dubs’ basketball.

So while it would be fun to see the literal Splash Brothers (Steph and Seth Curry) on the same team — the Warriors likely hang the phone up immediately with this offer.

Verdict: No chance