It takes lots of labor and determination to win a championship in any sport. Within the NBA, winning a title shouldn’t be easy by any means, as only 11 different franchises have won a couple of title.
The Golden State Warriors alternatively make winning championships look simplistic, as they recently passed the Chicago Bulls for the third-most championships in NBA history, winning the 2022 NBA Finals and claiming their seventh championship in team history, fourth within the last eight seasons.
Injuries derailed things for this franchise for a little bit bit, however the Warriors once more sit at the highest of the NBA world and so they entered this offseason in an intriguing position.
Paying over $170 million in luxury taxes this past season, Golden State’s ownership has proven that they shall be willing to spend with a purpose to compete for championships and this was very apparent in when the team signed multi-time All-Star and former league MVP Kevin Durant in 2016.
The Warriors made the NBA Finals each of the three seasons Durant was on their roster, winning two titles in 2017 and 2018. The All-Star forward then departed for the Brooklyn Nets following the 2019 NBA Finals, a series during which Durant suffered a torn right Achilles tendon.
Since coming back from this injury, Kevin Durant has been sensational in a Nets uniform, but things haven’t been “smooth sailing” for Brooklyn lately.
Between losing early on within the playoffs, the James Harden trade not working of their favor and Kyrie Irving sitting out most of last season as a result of vaccine requirements in Latest York City, lots of tension had been boiling up inside this organization, which is why Durant requested a trade in June ahead of the beginning of free agency.
This news shocked almost everyone within the league just because a player of Durant’s caliber almost never hits the trade market. Almost every team within the league began to assemble their best trade package and inquire in regards to the Nets All-Star, seeing in the event that they had a legitimate shot to tug off an enormous offseason trade with the Nets.
While negotiation could have never been held, the Golden State Warriors were certainly one of those teams to point out interest in Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry recently spoke with Rolling Stone, opening up about each his and the team’s interest to possibly reunite with Durant.
“There was a conversation internally amongst us about ‘If he was available, would you?’ Every team has those conversations, and clearly in our situation, they’re gonna call me and ask me, ‘How do you’re feeling about it,’” Curry said. “I used to be never hesitant. The thought of twiddling with KD and knowing who he’s as an individual, from our history in those three years, I feel KD’s a very good dude… I like that dude.
“And in the event you said, ‘Oh, KD’s coming back, and we’re gonna play with him,’ I had a lot fun twiddling with him those three years, I’d be like, ‘Hell, yeah!’”
The thought of the Warriors possibly getting involved in trade negotiations with the Nets for Durant was something many began to invest every week or so after the All-Star requested a trade from Brooklyn, although Golden State was coming off of one other title run.
Continuing to compete on the highest-level possible is what the Warriors want without delay, especially since Curry, Thompson and Green will not be getting any younger, but going after Durant would have likely meant that the Warriors would lose key, young talents like Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole and others who were instrumental of their efforts to win one other championship.
Steph went on to inform Rolling Stone that the concept of “running things back” with the team they’ve can also be very appealing and that he has complete confidence that Golden State can win one other title with their roster as constructed.
Since requesting a trade and presenting the Nets with an ultimatum for him to remain, one that might have resulted in GM Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash being fired, Kevin Durant and his management team have appeared to smooth things over with Brooklyn, because the two sides got here to an agreement to maneuver forward in August.
Kevin Durant stays the face of the Brooklyn Nets heading into the 2022-23 season and as for the Golden State Warriors, they once more enter the brand new NBA season because the team everyone seems to be chasing. A reunion between the Warriors and Durant could have worked, but at the tip of the day, the Warriors prioritized their championship roster and what they’re constructing for the long run.
