The Kevin Durant to the Warriors rumors are inescapable.
No matter how unlikely it might seem, the chatter surrounding a potential reunion with Golden State hasn’t stopped since the Nets superstar first requested a trade out of Brooklyn.
This time, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst spoke about the reports during an appearance on the "Dan Patrick Show,” where he said there are “legitimate” league sources who have told him Durant to the Warriors is a real internal “discussion” while breaking down why.
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“First off, I think that the Warriors always believe in open throttle,” Windhorst told Patrick. “The Warriors have shown that they don’t care what they spend. They spent $350 million this year on this team, and the Warriors have shown that they aren’t afraid to do it.
“They went out and got Durant in the first place [in 2016] … This is the way they go about it.”
Windhorst added that Steph Curry reportedly hasn’t “shut it down” when it comes to Golden State trading for Durant.
“I also think it says a lot about Steph Curry that Steph was willing to subjugate to Durant in the past,” he said. “This has been a discussion inside the Warriors organization. Curry has been asked about it and Curry gave a non-answer, but he didn’t shut it down. He didn’t say, ‘Hell no,’ which he has every right to do. Be like, ‘No, I just won the Finals MVP. No, we do not need to do Kevin Durant, we need to bring our team back together and try to repeat.”
Golden State Warriors
The analyst also pointed to a recent interview Warriors owner Joe Lacob did on The Athletic’s “The TK Show,” where the CEO told host Tim Kawakami that Golden State will “look” at any potential deal that could make the team better -- without going so far as to mention Durant.
“He never uses the word no … He doesn’t say the name, but he doesn’t say no,” Windhorst said.
With all of this considered -- along with the fact that Golden State ironically could put together the league’s best trade package for the 11-time All-Star -- does Windhorst foresee the Warriors actually trading for Durant?
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“Do I think it’s likely? Do I think on the pie chart of things to happen, do I think it’s a big slice? I don’t,” he said. “But also, I don’t think that I should dismiss it based on what I’m being told.”
They say talk is cheap, but in this case, it would cost Golden State plenty.
As the NBA world waits with bated breath to see where Durant will land, it’s evident that many aren’t counting the Warriors out.