Kevin Durant announced that he will sign with the Golden State Warriors when the NBA’s moratorium is lifted. What does that mean for the NBA’s landscape?
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. That’s exactly what Kevin Durant has elected to do, after announcing that he will leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors in an article on The Player’s Tribune.
Durant and the Thunder had a 3-1 series lead on the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, however they couldn’t close out the series. That allowed the Warriors to reach the NBA Finals, but ultimately lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.
Durant will sign a two-year, $54.5 million with the Warriors once the moratorium is lifted on July 7th, according to ESPN‘s Marc Stein. The second year includes a player option that Durant can opt out of and become a free agent during next summer, when the salary cap is expected to rise to above $100 million, according to ESPN.
Durant, 27, has easily become the NBA’s villain by leaving the Thunder for the team he couldn’t beat. Now he will try to win a NBA Championship, and possibly win more than a NBA-record 73 regular season games, the mark the Warriors set last season.
KD just went from beloved to vilified in OKC in a matter of seconds.
— David Mayo (@David_Mayo) July 4, 2016
Durant gives the Warriors another option for a scorer, which makes a potential NBA Finals re-match scary. Curry and Klay Thompson struggled to hit shots during the NBA Finals, at least compared to their NBA pace. Adding Durant gives them another option, and possibly the best scorer in the NBA.
Durant led the NBA in points for five straight seasons from 2008-09 to 2013-14. He also scored a career-high 32.0 point per game during the 2013-14 season.
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The 6-foot-10 forward has been incredibly efficient with his scoring, too. He’s averaging 27.4 points per game for his career with a shooting line of .483/.380/.882. He could be the first, second or third scoring option on the Warriors, making them a lethal offensive team.
Perhaps Durant’s move to Golden State prompts the Cavs to make a similar move to give them extra firepower. Making a move to acquire Dwyane Wade or DeMarcus Cousins would be notable options, but could they hang with the fast-paced Warriors by adding Cousins?
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Would the Cavs be willing to part with Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson? Can they beat the Warriors with Love or Thompson on the roster, or do they need to upgrade the roster?
All of these are questions that general manager David Griffin and owner Dan Gilbert must ask themselves in lieu of Durant forming a mega team with the Warriors.
There is no reason to panic for the Cavs, as they are still the defending champions, but this could easily dampen the mood of the celebratory high they have been experiencing. Is that going to stop them from celebrating? No. But now they know what they will (likely) be up against if they reach the NBA Finals again.
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Free agency will likely move much quicker now that Durant has announced his decision. The Cavs will have to re-evaluate their roster based on the new golden standard of forming a super team.