Golden State Warriors: Breaking down the impact of Kevin Durant leaving
A year full of rumors turned out to be true as Kevin Durant left the Golden State Warriors via free agency to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. Despite his exit, the Warriors are still in great shape moving forward.
And just like that…..he’s gone. After an eventful 2018-19 NBA season full of rumors and drama Kevin Durant has officially left the Golden State Warriors.
All of the noise that stemmed from Durant’s pending free agency decision this past season — which was echoed almost every week — has been proven true. The Brooklyn Nets are now the new home for not only him, but Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan as well.
To be honest, it feels relieving that the tirade of rumors and decisions are finally over. It really took its toll on not only the members of “Dub Nation,” but the team itself. Every day it was something new.
Either it was the New York Knicks that Durant wanted to go to or the Los Angeles Clippers. Everything was just clickbait or screaming for attention to try and stir the pot. Now that Kevin Durant is leaving the Warriors it definitely brings them down to earth.
However, his departure is by no means a huge loss.
The Warriors were most likely going to offer Durant a max deal, which is an insane gamble. Durant suffered an Achilles tear, which is an injury that’s known to derail a players career in all sports.
Not to mention that he will be missing all of next season, so the next time he steps onto the court he’ll be 32-years-old. Players who get to that age are already faced with questions of whether or not they still have the capacity to play, but Kevin Durant at 32-years-old coming off of an Achilles tear?
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The gamble is too risky to be investing so much money into him. Who’s to say that Durant will ever be the same again?
Following the announcement that Durant would be signing with the Nets, the Warriors total salary dropped for $308 million to $137 million, via Marcus Thompson of The Athletic. The Warriors are much better off using that money towards acquiring younger talent.
Not old damaged goods, which potentially could be Kevin Durant.
On the court, the Warriors won’t have him to bail them out of tight situations, but overall they’ll be fine. They are still one of the best teams in the Association. Let’s not act like they’re suddenly significantly worse without Durant.
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Besides, they were able to lessen the blow by acquiring All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell in a sign-and-trade with the Nets. It’s just the genius of general manager Bob Myers who had the fantastic foresight to create a contingency plan in case Durant left.
What looked like a broken season in 2019-20 now looks like it has a chance. A chance at the NBA Finals to win back the title that the Warriors failed to capture this season.
With Russell, the Warriors will be able to hold over until Klay Thompson returns late in the season. When that happens, the sky is the limit for this team.
Golden State Warriors: A new era is set to begin in San Francisco. dark. Next
The Golden State Warriors are by no means out of the NBA Finals race next season, thus the dynasty will still live on. Now that everything is said and done with Kevin Durant, all that is left is to do is appreciate the last three seasons he gave the Warriors.