After turning down a mid-season trade to the Golden State Warriors in February, Kevin Durant’s future looks abundantly clear in what could be a huge warning sign to the Western Conference and the rest of the NBA.
With the Phoenix Suns fielding trade offers and looking to execute a deal for the 2x Finals MVP this offseason, the buzz between Durant and the San Antonio Spurs is becoming hard to suppress.
Kevin Durant could be on the verge of joining the Spurs
While the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers continue to battle it out in the NBA Finals, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons believes a Durant deal may already be in place ahead of the draft later this month.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if KD to the Spurs is done already and they just haven’t announced it,” Simmons said on his podcast.“Basically, they’ve agreed on specifics, just announce it on the week of the draft. This goes back to the Giannis thing. I think they trade for KD because it just costs less.”
The only silver lining from a Warrior standpoint is that acquiring Durant would most likely take the Spurs out of the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes were he to become available. Yet with no concrete indication that the Bucks superstar wants a trade out of Milwaukee, the potential Durant-to-San Antonio move is far more harmful than helpful for Golden State and others in the West.
With a generational, already dominant two-way force in Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs already appear on track to become a threat in the conference for years to come. Adding Durant would only accelerate that timeline, with the very real possibility that San Antonio could surge past the Warriors and others in the standings next season.
Combine the Spurs with the already conference-ruling Thunder who are similarly young, and you have to wonder how the Warriors can compete as a legitimate Finals threat unless they can pull of a shock Antetokounmpo move or something to that magnitude.
Even with the fortune-changing trade for Jimmy Butler in February, it feels inevitable that a veteran team like Golden State will be cast aside for the next generation. It’s what makes Stephen Curry’s hamstring injury and the team’s subsequent second-round elimination all the more frustrating, with that potentially the last opportunity for the Warriors to truly compete for a championship with this core.
Wembanyama, Durant and De’Aaron Fox, along with Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and likely No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper? That’s a scary combination that could spell the end of the Warriors’ title hopes next season.
