Goodnews: warriors set to reunite with their former super star
Who gave what assistance? If you were to listen to the divisive conversation around NBA basketball, you would think that Kevin Durant’s arrival in 2016–17 saved the Golden State Warriors from being some pitiful club. It seemed that Durant was more in need of the Warriors than they were of him. The Suns, Durant’s most recent squad, were humiliated on their home court on Sunday night by the young Timberwolves, who won their first postseason series in twenty years. This season, Phoenix has placed everything on the line, assembling a “Big Three” in Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker.
The problem with the Suns? They failed to notice that five players play basketball at once. And that entire defense stuff is a big deal. In the Valley of the Sun, all-in led to a No. 6 seed and no postseason victories. Furthermore, it doesn’t seem like things will get any better in the future.
The Suns are in basketball purgatory, much like the Warriors, having mortgaged all of their draft picks for the next six years and facing a hefty tax burden. Indeed, there are a lot of unanswered questions in Phoenix, and this summer, some significant changes may occur. Golden State was just in front of the process by two weeks. Since Durant left the Bay, at least, the Warriors have won a championship in addition to a postseason series. For those keeping track, since the 2021 season, the Warriors have won five playoff series compared to Durant’s two. Durant’s comeback to the Warriors is just in time. Too bad it won’t come to pass.
First off, I don’t believe Durant—who turned his back on Brooklyn fifteen months ago—will be dealt again over the offseason. The Suns will probably continue to dig themselves deeper holes. I wish you luck on that one. I promise he won’t turn back into a Warrior, even if that prophecy is incorrect. Even though Durant is entering his age-36 season, there is no way in the world that Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, and all the draft picks in the world could land you. And given that both the Suns and the Warriors face, at best, mediocre futures and, at worst, an improbable reunion, I believe it is appropriate to reflect on the Durant-Dubs marriage and reopen the conditions of the divorce.
I live in the past, and you will have to forgive me for that; the future is too grim. Additionally, I’m foolishly following Inside The NBA’s example on social media. So once more, I would like to know: in the Warriors-Durant matchup, who benefited the most? The Warriors, who had won 73 games in the regular season the previous year, became the clear favorites to win the league again and again in the postseason after adding a wing who is as good a scorer as anyone in league history and a strong defender.
The purported messages that Draymond Green sent to Durant after the Warriors’ 2016 NBA Finals defeat are still the subject of a lot of attention. The relationship’s story was established by the hilarious tall tale (no, Green wasn’t crying on Facetime from the Oracle Arena parking lot). But it’s obvious that winning involves more than just putting together a team of all-star players and kicking the ball onto the court. Indeed, even with a team as talented as the Warriors during the Durant era.
Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving formed a Big Three with the Brooklyn Nets. In2022, that team advanced far in the first round of the playoffs after winning just one series. The Suns followed the same path, winning one postseason series before going on to sweep the other. The Warriors of 2017 may have been the best basketball team ever created, but the squad lost the NBA Finals (sans Durant) in six games in 2018 then faced the Rockets in seven games in the Western Conference Finals in 2019.
Even though the Warriors throughout the Durant era suffered a lot of internal and media-driven hardship, they were able to handle other teams’ blows with ease. More grit and scrap were on those teams than they’ll ever be given credit for. Was that grit something Durant brought to the Warriors, or something the Warriors gave to Durant? These days, it seems like a simple response. In a perfect world, the two people would figure out a way to reunite and have one final chance at greatness because they are more in need of one another than before.
These days, there’s no denying that the Warriors are in dire need of a game-changing wing like Durant. It’s evident that Durant needed what the Warriors offered, their on-court systems and institutional leadership, the Steph Curry of it all. We should be grateful that our world is not perfect.
