As the Golden State Warriors enter the Play-In Tournament with a must-win matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, their veteran core bears a lot of questions.
Golden State's trio of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green have at times looked unbeatable, blistering other teams in transition and shutting them down defensively. They also lost three of the past five regular season games and have looked extremely vulnerable, going through cold shooting stretches and bouts of fatigue.
As Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant becomes available this offseason, could the Warriors attempt to reunite the old core for one last shot at a championship?
Could Kevin Durant return to the Warriors?
As the Suns have floundered this season, finishing a woeful 36-46 and as the 11th-seed in the Western Conference, blame has been shifted around the organization as a whole.
Even with most of their players relatively healthy throughout the season, the Suns seemed disorganized on both ends of the floor on almost a nightly basis, resulting in a disgruntled locker room and fan base.
Already having fired head coach Mike Budenholzer, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Durant will certainly be made available this offseason as part of the organization's restructuring efforts.
This comes after the Warriors aggressively pursued Durant prior to the trade deadline, even offering to flip the recently acquired Jimmy Butler in an attempt to reunite Durant with his old running mates. However, Durant nipped the opportunity in the bud, citing his desire to stay in Phoenix through the end of the season.
While Golden State signed Butler to a two-year, $111 million extension immediately following his acquisition, it is likely that with the end of Curry and Green's careers drawing near, they are anxious to maximize their remaining championship window.
Now, having been relegated to the Play-In, the necessity of fighting through a stacked Western Conference only makes their path to a championship this season more difficult. In fairness, Butler has elevated the Warriors' floor exponentially, and it would take a disastrous playoff exit and an uneasy front office for such a drastic move to be made.
Yet, if Butler does not rise to the caliber that Golden State expects in the playoffs, which will almost certainly result in an early exit for the team, the organization could look to quickly pivot to a known commodity such as Durant in order to maximize the remaining years of Curry's contract.
Apart from this year's draft, the Warriors own their next four first-round draft picks, which would be vital in orchestrating such a move.