There's no reason the Golden State Warriors should not at least try to get Kevin Durant back. Reuniting with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green shouldn't be so bad, right?
Kevin Durant caused a mess in the basketball world when has asked for a trade to leave the Brooklyn Nets. This came exactly three years after he decided to leave the Warriors and go with Brooklyn.
Strangely and ironically, the Warrior may actually offer one of the best possible trade packages for Durant. This is especially true now, given the current NBA landscape.
*Kevin Durant wants out of Brooklyn*
The Warriors: pic.twitter.com/mhydKo2hnH
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 30, 2022
The Golden State Warriors have a number of promising young players and picks. In addition, they also have Andrew Wiggins, who raised his stock quite considerably after winning the NBA title.
But would the Warriors be willing to roll the dice on KD? Remember that the Dubs won their fourth title in the last eight years without him, and such a big shake-up could prove more costly than beneficial.
Still, in case the Warriors do the unthinkable and present a trade package for KD, how would that exactly look?
James Wiseman, Moses Moody, and Jonathan Kuminga could all be part of it. They are all young, talented, and promising players who could be interesting building blocks for a gutted team like the Nets. Packaging at least two of those players with Wiggins and Jordan Poole and maybe a couple of first-rounders won't break the bank. It may also still net them the Slim Reaper.
That kind of package on the table doesn't sound too shabby at all. Brooklyn will get proven winners in Wiggins and Poole along with exciting young athletes and possible ringers via those additional draft picks.
This will also benefit the Warriors in other ways. The Dubs knew they would not be able to bring everyone back from their recent title run. In fact, Gary Payton II and Juan Toscano-Anderson have already signed with other teams. Who's to say they won't lose other key pieces like Kevon Looney or Otto Porter Jr, too?
Bringing KD in while trading away the aforementioned names means the Warriors could potentially keep some of their key role players. Durant will also add to their scoring punch. It smells like a win-win.
Kevin Durant could team up with Steph Curry again?!
There is no doubt Durant can help the Warriors anew. Remember that they won back-to-back in large part because of KD. With Durant returning to complement the Dubs' current big three, winning multiple titles in the coming 3-5 years won't just be hot air coming out of Draymond Green's mouth.
With KD back, all bets are off.
Having said that, there is no precedent for Durant to return to a team for which he played in the past. That kind of sentimentality just seems absent from his entire persona. Money is not even among the primary motivations for KD.
Remember also that Durant doesn’t have the Warriors on his list of preferred trade destinations. He has named the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns as his top choices. KD may or may not also still hold a grudge that Draymond loudly called him names during a Clippers game four years ago.
There would be some wrinkles to iron out, for sure.
But if KD is all about winning those chips, then once again, it might be the Warriors giving him the best chance to do just that.
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