The Golden State Warriors are pretty good — if you haven’t heard — and the rest of the NBA now is faced with the terrifying possibility they might only get better this offseason.
Kevin Durant is set to become a free agent after this season and if the 27-year-old superstar decides to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors are the “significant front-runners” to sign him, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Yes, you read that correctly. The Warriors are the defending NBA champions and (at 44-4 through 48 games) they’re positioned to challenge the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the best record in league history (72-10). Yet Golden State has the ability to create the salary cap space necessary to sign Durant, according to Wojnarowski, and the Warriors’ sales pitch ultimately could be too alluring.
The Warriors have a loaded roster featuring Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, to name a few. They have a respected head coach in Steve Kerr and the reigning NBA Executive of the Year in general manager Bob Myers. There’s also a chance — a very strong one — that Golden State will be coming off its second consecutive NBA title when Durant hits the open market.
This doesn’t mean Durant definitely is leaving Oklahoma City. He seemingly loves playing for the Thunder, and sources told Wojnarowski that the seven-time All-Star hasn’t made a decision and isn’t leaning one way or the other at this point. But the threat of Durant leaving OKC is real.
And the threat of Golden State building a dynasty is real, too.
Thumbnail photo via Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports Images
