The Golden State Warriors are a team on the rise in the NBA with Stephen Curry and company finally among the league’s elite this season. Golden State has a legitimate shot at winning an NBA title this year, but the front office is already planning for long-term success.
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According to Mychal Thompson on 710 ESPN, the former Lakers center has it under good authority that the Warriors will aggressively pursue superstar Kevin Durant in free agency during the summer of 2016:
“I also heard it on good authority from a team that plays in the Bay Area that they’re going to go hard after Kevin Durant.”
With so much uncertainty surrounding the future of the Thunder franchise after the firing of head coach Scott Brooks and recent hiring of Billy Donovan, anything can happen moving forward, including the team losing both Russell Westbrook and Durant over the next two years in free agency.
Even before Brooks was fired, there was a lot of speculation about Durant’s future in Oklahoma City. The superstar forward played in only 27 games this season as a result of a persistent foot injury that required surgery multiple times.
With Durant’s injury being concerning and Westbrook emerging as a legitimate MVP candidate, it isn’t beyond the realm of possibility the four-time NBA scoring champion is either traded next season or simply heads elsewhere in free agency next summer. Durant has said time and time again that he’d love to stay with the Thunder, but the two sides could part ways if Durant continues to struggle to stay healthy or doesn’t end up seeing eye-to-eye with Donovan.
The Warriors are only one potential destination for the superstar forward with the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, and Washington Wizards among many teams that’ll pursue him next summer. Joining Golden State, if they remain a powerhouse in the Western Conference, may be an intriguing option for Durant and potentially the best chance of winning a title or multiples titles in his career.
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