How do you rebound from a devastating Game 7 championship loss?
You go out and do everything you can to sign a top five player in the league.
When news originally was floated of Kevin Durant to the Warriors in February, it seemed far-fetched and laughable. At the time, why would the Warriors even want Durant? As long as they could get by the Spurs, they were shoe-ins to repeat as champs. Durant might mess with team chemistry. He would take away shots from Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Some went as far as saying it would make the NBA boring, or too easy for the Warriors.
That narrative is dead in the water. Things change in a blink of an eye in the NBA postseason.
After collapsing under the pressure of LeBron James, the Warriors need Durant, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect. Small forward Harrison Barnes is coming off the books, a player that corrupted Golden State’s chances by never reaching his potential. Imagine Durant on the floor instead of Barnes late in the fourth quarter. Cleveland wouldn’t be able to trap the Splash Brothers on the outside. Durant would make the Warriors an offensive enterprise and his length on defense completely revitalizes small ball — a strategy the Cavs steamrolled in the Finals. With Durant wearing a No. 35 Warriors jersey, somebody would always have a favorable matchup on the court.
Here’s the thing: the challenge of luring Durant to Golden State has little to do with convincing him of how the X’s and O’s would work. The biggest challenge is Durant’s heart. He’s a compassionate person who has built an empire from scratch in Oklahoma City. Similar to LeBron’s decision to leave Cleveland for Miami in 2010, Thunder fans would lose their minds, burn jerseys and curse at Durant until their cows come home. He doesn’t want a stain like that on his legacy. Further, bolting in free agency would be considered an act of betrayal to Russell Westbrook. Durant and Westbrook have been through so much together — NBA Finals losses, unfair criticism, seven years of road trips together. The two are brothers and perhaps no other pair in the league has as strong of bond. Durant leaving Westbrook will be painted by the media as a sign of weakness. He won’t be able to shake that lingering storyline, and it’s an unpleasant one to deal with.
If the Warriors truly want Durant, they need the help of Curry, Thompson and especially Draymond Green, who has the gift of the gab. Golden State shouldn’t pitch some corporate presentation with slideshows and video. They should fly their three All-Stars down to Durant’s summer home in Los Angeles, and alongside Steve Kerr and Bob Myers, they all should literally just hang out. Order Chinese food. Play video games. Talk smack about LeBron. The Warriors shouldn’t try and over-persuade Durant and throw a Hail Mary at him. Don’t make him feel like a God — he hates that stuff. Durant just wants to feel like one of the guys, like he’s the missing piece to this group of friends.
Towards the end of this theoretical recruiting trip, this is what will separate the Warriors from other suitors: Curry, Thompson and Green can tell Durant what winning a title feels like. They can describe the champagne and ski-masks, what silencing LeBron feels like, they can go on-and-on about the parade. More than anything, though, winning a championship is a feeling from within you. It’s validation of your basketball career. Nobody from the Thunder will be able to definitively describe that to Durant. The Thunder are projecting to win a title; the Warriors have already done it and know what it takes. Plus, all three of these players showing up during their offseason shows where their priorities rest. The itch to get another title in Oakland is a scratch that only Durant can alleviate.
Of course, Durant will have his own questions about the Warriors and knowing him, he’ll play everything slyly. He’ll want the truth on whether Draymond did purposely kicked Steven Adams in the testicles. He’ll want to know how injured Curry actually was during the postseason. He’ll jokingly curse out Thompson for that 41-point Game 6 performance in Oklahoma City. This is where Kerr and Myers come in. They both have a sense of humor they can show Durant. Part of why the Warriors are so successful, is that this group laughs together. They always eat together. They group text together. Some self-deprecation will give Durant a look into the window.
Outside of the Oklahoma City, it seems the Warriors will have very little competition for Durant. The Spurs effectively bowed out when Durant manhandled them himself in the Western Semis. The Knicks will send Phil Jackson to put his 11 rings on the table and will hype up what the New York market will mean to Duran’t brand, but they haven’t made the playoffs in three years. The lowly Wizards will play up the family and friends angle Washington D.C. can deliver him. A surprise team will enter the competition, maybe even Luke Walton’s Lakers.
From the Warriors’ perspective, not only is Durant the final piece that could tackle LeBron, it’s a devastating blow to the Thunder. It wasn’t an accident when Oklahoma City went up 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals. They have young versatile pieces, a stable of big men and a brilliant head coach in Billy Donovan. But take away Durant, and Westbrook can’t do all the scoring on his own. The Thunder would probably attempt to replace him with a free agent such as DeMar DeRozan. That has disaster written all over it.
At Monday’s exit interviews, all three Warriors were asked about the looming offseason. None of them came out and said breaking up this team would be a bad idea.
“What do you do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?” Green said. “It’s the NBA. It’s the business we live in. I don’t know who will be here and who won’t.”
The Warriors have many other offseason needs. They need a big body who can consistently patrol the paint, and matchup with OKC’s Adams and Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson late in the season. Toronto free agent Bismack Biyombo would be an outstanding upgrade. Charlotte free agent Nicolas Batum would also be an ideal piece in Kerr’s offense, but the team will be strapped for cash assets if they lure Durant. Myers may still be able to get Joakim Noah on a discounted price.
It’s clear the interest is mutual between the Warriors and Durant. If Curry, Thompson and Green attend the meeting with Durant, there’s a strong chance of hitting a home run out of the park. It shows that Golden State is a group of proven winners willing to sacrifice their own individual success to get another ring. It shows Durant he’s the final star missing on top of the Christmas tree.
Go get Durant. Just be cool about it.