Joe Lacob might not understand why Kevin Durant left the Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets, but he's beginning to see the bright side of losing one of the best players in the game.
With nine months having passed since Durant announced he'd be leaving the Bay for the Empire State, Lacob, while noting it hurt to lose the two-time NBA Finals MVP, thinks it could end up being a positive for the Warriors in the long run.
“This is really an odd thing to say, but him leaving when he did may have turned out to be the right thing,” Lacob told The Athletic. “For him, certainly, I want him to have a good career, enjoy himself. He felt it was obviously not the right thing to stay. He wasn’t quite comfortable. I can’t explain why. I don’t know why. But for whatever reason, he moved on.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"But he wouldn’t have played this last year. He was injured. We would’ve had a huge payroll as a team. Maybe this is the best thing. We were able to start a rebuild a little bit earlier than we otherwise might have. Maybe it’ll prove to be the right thing in the long run that that occurred. I’m an optimist. I always look at things at what’s the positive in the situation. Yes, he left. That’s negative. But the positive is we got a chance to move forward quicker and to move into the next phase of what we’re doing.”
Listen and subscribe to the Runnin' Plays Podcast
Durant signed a four-year contract with the Nets, but has missed all of this season while rehabbing his ruptured Achilles. Durant staying with the Warriors would have caused their payroll and luxury tax bill to skyrocket, as the Dubs would have had four players -- Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green -- on massive contracts.
Due to injuries to Curry and Thompson, the Warriors were able to treat this season as a reboot year, using it to test out younger players and see which ones might help extend the dynasty once Curry and Thompson return. Adding that element of youth, acquiring Andrew Wiggins and possibly landing the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft could help the Warriors extend their run past the primes of Curry, Thompson and Green. So, in that respect, Lacob is right in saying Durant's exit allowed them to enter a new phase.
Golden State Warriors
That being said, losing Durant, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and one of the greatest players in the history of the game, is a loss that's hard to stomach. Should Durant return healthy and unencumbered from his injury, the Warriors would have a far better chance to rack up titles with the Durant in the fray than they do without him.
[RELATED: Warriors' 2015 NBA Finals win holds special place in dynastic run]
It's always nice to take an optimistic approach, and the Warriors are set up for success. But losing Durant was a blow to the Warriors' dynasty. That's the only way to spin it.