In an interesting twist of fate, one of the teams that is believed to have the ability to put together one of the better packages in a potential Kevin Durant deal is the Golden State Warriors.
Of course, Durant was with the Warriors prior to his time with the Brooklyn Nets. He won two NBA titles with the Warriors, but he did not exactly leave the organization on the best of terms.
Though the Warriors may be able to offer an interesting package to the Nets, it seems that the defending champs would be reluctant to part with some of their young assets.
“The Warriors have several young assets on paper, including Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman and Moses Moody, but Golden State would be reluctant to give up all these assets in a Durant trade proposal, HoopsHype has learned,” Michael Scotto reported. “Andrew Wiggins would be an attractive trade chip and is coming off an All-Star season, but he can’t be included in a Durant trade at the moment, as explained in-depth by our USA TODAY colleagues at For The Win.”
Even when putting aside the history that Durant and the Warriors have, it does make a certain amount of sense why the Warriors would be reluctant to make such a deal. Durant is 33 years old, and while he would help the Warriors win now, trading away all those young players would dramatically impede Golden State’s chances of success in the future.
On top of that, the Warriors clearly don’t need any help winning now, as they won an NBA championship just a few weeks ago.
If the Warriors were to somehow acquire Durant while not totally depleting the younger portion of their roster, perhaps that would change things. However, a trade that completely decimates both youth presence and depth doesn’t seem like a winning move, even if it is for one of the best players in the league.
As the offseason rolls on, it will be interesting to see how the Durant drama progresses. If Brooklyn’s asking price goes down, perhaps the Warriors will look to make a splash with an offer that doesn’t include too much of their young talent.
