Kevin Durant Joining the Warriors, Dominoes Can Begin Falling

The biggest news of the NBA offseason has come, and Kevin Durant is joining the Warriors, which will be the first of many dominoes to fall for Golden State.

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Free agency had been brought to a standstill as the Fourth of July holiday approached, but the only fireworks that mattered were the ones that Kevin Durant was certain to set off. With teams anxiously awaiting a decision on which team Durant would give his services to, Durant made his announcement in a way that it seems only Durant could.

Durant, a deputy publisher for the Player’s Tribune, penned an article for the site, calling this free agency period “by far the most challenging few weeks” of his professional life. In a very well-written and quite eloquent piece, Durant talks about the motivation for his decision, including the “potential for…growth as a player”, and reaching a point in life to take on new challenges: “moving out of the comfort zone to a new city and community”.

He finishes the second paragraph, killing the building suspense, by saying “I have decided that I am going to join the Golden State Warriors”.

In the Player’s Tribune, Durant doesn’t disclose the terms of his new contract, the first not with the Oklahoma City Thunder (or Seattle SuperSonics for his rookie season), but that’s what NBA insiders are for. ESPN’s Marc Stein has Durant signing a two-year contract worth $54.3 million, with the second year being a player option.

The Warriors are adding another elite scorer to a roster that already includes two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and last season’s scoring champion Stephen Curry, and a player who has averaged over 20 points the last two season in Klay Thompson.

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Durant brings his own hefty resume to the Bay Area. He was the league MVP in 2014. He’s a four-time scoring champion, including averaging over 30 points in a season twice (2009-2010 and 2013-2014). He’s been an All-Star seven times and All-NBA First Team five times. He averaged 27.4 points and seven rebounds per game for his career, shooting 48.3 percent form the floor, 38 percent from long range, and 88.2 from the free throw line.

Bringing Durant into the picture makes the death lineup a lot more deadly. The trio of Curry, Durant, and Thompson average a combined 68.2 points per game in their careers while shooting 41.6 percent from beyond the arc. Andre Iguodala was a big part of the recruiting process for Durant, indicating that he isn’t going anywhere as a cap casualty. Draymond Green emerged as an all-around threat last season, becoming one of the best triple-double artists in the league. He set personal bests across the board, averaging 14 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists, while shooting 49 percent from the floor and 38.8 percent from three-point range.

With Durant’s decision finally made, the free agency dominoes can begin falling for the Warriors. They had mostly been dormant, waiting on Durant before beginning to make moves. But with the decision now in hand, moves can be made.

The Warriors won’t match the Dallas Mavericks’ offer to forward Harrison Barnes, spelling the end of the Harry B era in Golden State. Durant should do just fine in his place. Andrew Bogut, who is making just over $11 million next season, has become expendable as the Warriors work to clear money. The Mavericks have emerged as a front-runner there, as well. ESPN’s Marc Spears has said the Warriors will renounce rights to restricted free agent Festus Ezeli, making him unrestricted on the market.

Next: Warriors Pulling Out All Stops for Durant

After falling short in the NBA Finals last season, blowing a 3-1 lead and missing out on winning championship rings in consecutive seasons, the Warriors look more than poised to get back to that level.

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