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Kevin Durant's looming free agency plans have been a pressing question for the Golden State Warriors and a constant reminder of what lies ahead when the media inquires about it, yet the organization is somehow less worried than they were last season, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.
“Based on my time around the Warriors so far this season, I would argue that fears about Durant leaving in free agency actually weighed on the organization heavier last season than they do now. Various Warriors staffers were never sure, at occasional points last season, if Durant was truly enjoying the Golden State experience. In Year 3, they’ve largely learned to stop sweating it. Green, of course, is the exception.”
After signing another one-and-one deal, the Warriors at least feel they have a chance to three-peat with him on the roster this season, achieving something most teams don't get the chance to do.
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“For most of Durant’s teammates, though, as well as the Warriors’ foremost decision-makers, I don’t sense that they’ve been obsessed with what may or may not happen in July,” wrote Stein. “Are they already convinced, as some have suggested, that he’s leaving for the Knicks or the Clippers or whoever? Perhaps it’s better to describe the approach as bracing for the worst-case scenario in hopes that the sting is lessened should it come to fruition.”
It's abundantly clear that the organization actively tried to recruit Durant back to the team, doing so even after winning the championship by showering him with praise over other players. This time around, players have already made it clear that they will leave his decision up to him, responding rather nonchalantly to inquiries about his future.
The Warriors would still have a pretty competent core should Durant and DeMarcus Cousins depart in free agency, which has made the organization all that much more thankful for the chance to make history and secure three straight championship with a player of his caliber.
