Of course things are about to blow up in Brooklyn.
The second Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving agreed to team up with the Nets in the summer of 2019, anyone with half a brain knew this day was coming.
And because Irving has a player option for next year and could decide to leave this offseason, Durant is reportedly “seriously mulling his future options,” per Stadium.
One of those options is a return to the Golden State Warriors.
There aren’t many teams in the league that can make a reasonable trade for a player of Durant’s caliber, but the Dubs are one of them. They have big-money contracts to match Durant’s salary and young players that would make a deal somewhat worth Brooklyn’s time.
The notion of him returning to the Warriors is not a pipe dream. It could happen.
I just don’t see it going down.
Not only was there serious awkwardness (and that’s being generous) in Durant’s final year(s) in Golden State, but the Warriors’ title this season was the manifestation of the organization’s grand plan to win now and later.
I don’t think they’d give up on that plan now that they’re atop the NBA.
But that’s not to say they won’t discuss it, perhaps even with the Nets.
The Warriors always want more, and as truly great as Andrew Wiggins was in the postseason, and as tantalizing as James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga might be as prospects, getting the Super Villains back together would be great business on and off the court for the Dubs.
And remember, that was Plan A. This whole two timelines deal was Plan B, for Brooklyn, enacted when Durant opted to leave the Bay.
Ultimately, though, the decision lies with Durant. If Irving leaves Brooklyn and the Nets don’t receive anything of championship-contender quality in return, the all-time great wing would be the one who would have to demand a trade.
Obviously, the Warriors wouldn’t be the only interested team in arguably the greatest scorer in NBA history.
Small-market teams wouldn’t stand much of a chance of landing Durant — despite being signed until 2026, he’ll call his shot on where he wants to go, should things come to that.
I can see the Heat, Bulls, Clippers, Celtics, Mavericks and Hawks making a push for Durant.
While the Warriors might have a better trade package than any of those teams, those would be attractive destinations for Durant.
Ultimately, when Durant left the Bay, he burned the bridges. He still complains about me and the media here. The way he left rubbed a lot of people in the Warriors organization the wrong way. The players might have love for him, still, but I don’t think they miss the passive-aggressiveness that came with his on-court greatness.
That’s not to say those bridges can’t be rebuilt, but I can’t imagine why they would be when there are so many other outstanding places he can go.
There’s also no guarantee Durant goes anywhere. In fact, I’d handicap it as far more likely that Durant doesn’t go anywhere.
But Irving’s exit would bring to an end a strange era of Nets basketball.
Yes, this possible ending would prove predictable, but what would stand out to me from Irving and Durant’s three-year run how ineffective it was.
I didn’t expect Brooklyn to do much, and I understand that Durant missed a full season and the world was turned upside down at the same time.
But I certainly expected more than one playoff round win from this team.
The Hawks have more over the last three seasons. The Houston Rockets have the same number of playoff series wins as the Nets since Durant and Irving arrived in Brooklyn. The Rockets have been the worst team in the NBA the last two seasons.
Even with Durant and Irving and, at one point, James Harden — remember when he was on the Nets? — Brooklyn was just another mediocre team. They never came close to competing for a title, and no amount of wishful extrapolation or toe-nudging on the 2021 playoffs can change that.
Of course, the good times weren’t always there for the Warriors. They stunk something fierce the two years after Durant left. But those years can be looked at as building campaigns now.
The only thing that was built up for the Nets was the hype around them. That seems poised to deflate in an incredible way this summer.
And the aftermath of all of it will have far more ramifications on the league than the Nets ever did.
I just don’t see that aftermath affecting the Warriors.
