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The Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Finals. They're searching for yet another championship led by the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Even as the team around them changed, they have been able to compete for titles when they're all healthy.
Kevin Durant unlocked the most potential of the trio but also ended his time in Golden State after only three years. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Durant didn't want to do a sign-and-trade from the Warriors when he decided to leave them. They ended up making a deal anyway. One player they looked for is Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal.
“When you have a guy like that, you have responsibility to them,” Myers says. “So many other guys would raise their hand at some point and go, ‘I tried but I can't keep doing this.'” Myers nodded and told Curry he promised to “get it right.”
The easiest way to do that would've been to sign or trade for an established star to pair with Curry, Thompson and Green. The Warriors did explore those options, sources said, most notably surrounding Washington's Bradley Beal.
In the end, Durant was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, along with a first-round pick, in exchange for D'Angelo Russell and two players they would later waive. The Warriors flipped Russell midway through his first season in the Bay Area in exchange for Andrew Wiggins and a draft pick that became Jonathan Kuminga.
Beal would have been a strong addition to the Warriors because of his scoring, though his lack of presence on defense may have led to them trading him, too. That was Russell's issue. With Wiggins, they developed a fantastic defense that has helped them reach the NBA Finals again.
