Kevin Durant’s loss is the Warriors’ gain.
The superstar forward wanted out of Brooklyn. He didn’t like the coach he picked, Steve Nash; he was over the superstar teammate he chose, Kyrie Irving; and he didn’t like the direction of the organization that handed over so much power to him when he went there in 2019.
I say this without a strain of sarcasm: It takes a big man to admit his mistakes. Durant going to Brooklyn was a mistake.
The problem for Durant amid his trade request was that he made the mistake of not just choosing Nash, Irving, and the Nets, but he also signed a four-year contract extension last August.
Durant had no leverage in his trade demand outside of being one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA.
And the problem with trades is that it takes at least two teams to make a deal.
Durant will turn 34 next month, and he is entering his 16th NBA season in October. He is arguably the greatest scorer in NBA history, but he also has a surgically repaired Achilles tendon and a history of foot injuries. Add in the drama that followed him from Golden State to Brooklyn and the justifiably massive price tag the Nets put on him in trade talks, and it’s hardly surprising that a deal never materialized this summer.
So after weeks of looking for a way to amicably divorce, the Nets announced Tuesday that Durant, Nash, and the team’s ownership met in Los Angeles and agreed to stay together.
I say this with every known strain of sarcasm: That should go well.
I maintain that trading for Durant would have been a good move for the Warriors, but him staying in Brooklyn is a win for the Dubs, too.
Not only will Durant remain in the opposite conference to the Warriors and not join the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, or even the Memphis Grizzlies, who reportedly had late interest (what took so long?), but the Nets should not be viewed as a serious threat to the Dubs as it pertains to possible NBA Finals matchups.
Put whatever word you want on it — awkwardness, dysfunction, toxicity — the core issues with the Nets have not been solved amid this recoupling announcement. Contrary to popular belief, Durant is not a fickle guy — the issues put forward amid his trade request were not fly-by-night to him.
And those issues will persist.
Just because Durant is returning doesn’t mean all is well in the borough.
I like the Nets’ roster this season — I really do — but that’s just conceptual. Practically, the team is a mess. Chemistry matters in the NBA, and Brooklyn is not so talented that it can overcome that truth. I’d expect more drama and more nonsense by the time the calendar flips to 2023.
But even when that drama hits, I don’t expect things to change to the point where Durant is traded.
The Dubs, meanwhile, have not only won their divorce with Durant; they’re running up the score.
The defending champions have good chemistry and a clear — albeit binate — identity. And now, with the Durant situation put to bed, the Dubs can push forward as the favorites to win the West again in 2022-23, knowing that only one rival, the Clippers, has seriously improved this offseason.
The Dubs’ opponents in the Western Conference finals, the Mavericks, lost their second-best player for nothing. The Suns angered their starting center, didn’t do anything to bolster their roster, and now get to roll the dice with Chris Paul going into his age-38 season. The young Grizzlies should continue to improve with another campaign together, but they traded away a rock-solid depth piece in De’Anthony Melton for a draft pick and Danny Green, who tore both the ACL and LCL in his left knee in last year’s playoffs. Sorry if I don’t think that’s a winning move for Memphis.
This isn’t to say that the Warriors will repeat as Western Conference or NBA champions — it’s merely to say that the biggest threat to their status as the favorites this offseason was the possibility of Durant coming west.
He isn’t. He won’t. And while that’s a big loss for him, it’s another offseason win for the Dubs.
