Well Kevin Durant just made NBA 2k17 really un-fun.
With a move that many fans thought would never happen, Kevin Durant announced that he will be signing a 2 year deal (one year with a player option) with the Golden State Warriors via the Players Tribune.
For me, it was a move I did not want to see be made. The Golden State Warriors are coming off of the greatest regular season ever with a record of 73-9 and were one win away from an NBA championship. Now, they add the best scorer in the NBA.
However, I do get this move from Kevin Durant’s perspective. Durant wants to win a championship in his career and has only ever made the Finals one time. At this point, the Warriors are a virtual lock to get there for the third straight season. The new “death lineup” of Curry-Thompson-Iguodala-Durant-Green is about to be one of the scariest lineups the NBA has ever seen. As much as I am against this move, I am genuinely excited to see this team play.
What does all of this mean for Oklahoma City? Well, the title window that was being cracked open back in 2012 is now officially closed. This may even be the downfall of the Thunder. With the impending free agency of Russell Westbrook they may be forced to start rebuilding. The best part of all of this is that we get to see Russell Westbrook put up an historically great season if he can stay healthy. Westbrook was putting up insane numbers and triple doubles when he had to share the ball with Kevin Durant and now he is all alone. Who is going to complain that they do not get the ball enough, Victor Oladipo ? How about Steven Adams ? I am thoroughly excited to see the numbers this man can put up this year.
Another big part about this Kevin Durant move is how it compares to the move LeBron James made 6 years ago. The only common ground between the two is that they joined other All-Stars. Other than that, Durant is going into a much better situation than LeBron did. So if you hated LeBron, you must loathe Kevin Durant. LeBron James did not join a team with an established core that just set the record for the most wins in a season. LeBron James did not join the reigning two-time league MVP. LeBron James did not leave behind a franchise that gave him another top 5 player as a supporting cast member.
Overall, Kevin Durant just made the Warriors the instant favorite to win the NBA title. The biggest question is how they can keep it together with Durant and Curry being free agents again, but that is why they pay Bob Myers the big bucks in Golden State. It will now be interesting to see what happens with Harrison Barnes as well as Dion Waiters . Now that they no longer have to pay Durant they could bring him back if they want to.
This is setting up to be another fascinating NBA season.