Golden State Warriors: A Little Bad Luck, A Lot of Good Fortune

The rich get richer. That old adage rang true once again on the Fourth of July, when Kevin Durant announced he would be leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with the Golden State Warriors.

A player of Durant’s caliber signing with a team as talented as the Warriors is something straight out of NBA 2K – it feels like something that would happen only in a video game. But it really, actually happened.

How was Golden State able to pull it off? It’s been a long road, dating back as far as the 2009 NBA Draft, but a combination of a little bad luck and a lot of good fortune made this possible.

As the “We Believe” era was coming to an end, the 2008-2009 Warriors finished with a record of 29-53 – seventh-worst in the NBA. It was the latest disappointing season for the Warriors, who had just one playoff appearance since 1994-1995.

To this point, the Warriors had a long history of terrible teams and embarrassing moments, but that would all soon change.

The first stroke of good luck came when the lottery granted them the draft pick they were slotted to earn – seventh overall.

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With the fifth and sixth picks, the Minnesota Timberwolves selected point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn, allowing Stephen Curry to be selected seventh by Golden State.

Minnesota passing on Curry twice obviously is the notable story here, but two other storylines were in play on draft night. Curry and his team wanted him to play for the New York Knicks, who had the eighth pick. But the Warriors didn’t flinch at that notion, and drafted Curry regardless.

The second story in play that night was a trade that nearly sent Curry to the Phoenix Suns. The Suns’ general manager at the time was none other than Steve Kerr, who very badly wanted Curry. So much so, that he offered Amar’e Stoudemire in the deal. Keep in mind, this was a 26-year-old Stoudemire.

Golden State general manager Larry Riley ultimately decided not to make the trade, and the rest of that story is history. Curry has morphed into a two-time MVP, and Amar’e Stoudemire effectively broke down just two seasons later.

The Curry story is particularly important, of course. But before the MVP trophies, all of the endorsements and everything else that comes with being an NBA superstar, Curry was hampered by chronic ankle injuries.

Multiple surgeries led to the belief that this would be Curry’s reality – the latest “what if” sports story.

After three seasons in the NBA, Curry was eligible for a contract extension. When the Warriors extended him – October 2012 – to a four-year, $44M contract, it was understandably questioned and considered a huge risk.

But that contract Curry signed is what made signing Durant possible. In the 2015 season, 59 players were paid more than Curry. Before Durant signed, Curry’s contract also allowed the team the financial flexibility to sign Andre Iguodala in July of 2013, and to extend the deals of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Which, speaking of those players, is the next round of good fortune for Golden State. To their credit, smart drafting and impressive player development has been a key factor in the team being as talented as they are. But without Curry being on a bargain deal, all three of those contracts wouldn’t have been a possibility.

The 2013-2014 season ended in the heartbreak for the Warriors, losing in Game Seven of the semi-finals to the Los Angeles Clippers. This led to another decision met with questioning – firing Mark Jackson and replacing him with Steve Kerr.

Jackson was popular with the fanbase, credited for changing the culture. The players, notably Curry, supported him. Not only that, but the decision to hire Kerr was a peculiar one. Like Jackson, Kerr had no coaching experience, and was also a broadcaster.

But unlike Jackson, Kerr had a negative mark on his resume. His tenure as GM of the Suns was largely considered a failure.

The next piece of good fortune for Golden State wasn’t an action of the team — rather, it was an action they didn’t take.

The Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes for Kevin Love trade rumor was the rage of summer 2014. They won’t admit it now, but most of the fans were in favor of trading for Love, a consensus top-five player at the time.

Kerr, who had just been hired, and team consultant Jerry West were the notable staff members against trading Thompson. They were concerned about how much the defense would suffer, and were believers in Thompson’s potential.