The Golden State Warriors were already appearing to be a force in the NBA for years to come. The only question now is just how dominant can they be after signing Kevin Durant in free agency?
Golden State’s bench will look different because of moves that had to be made in order to sign Durant. But a group of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and now Kevin Durant should be enough to carry a team to 16 wins in the postseason and hoisting that coveted Larry O’Brien trophy.
The addition of Durant will make for an improved Death Lineup that will make for some of the most exciting basketball you will see in the NBA next season. The first thought by many is that there might not be enough basketball to go around and get Curry, Thompson and Durant their shots, but the Warriors’ brand of basketball and selflessness should negate that obstacle, on top of being a great defensive team.
Golden State has had some of the best ball movement in the league over the course of the past few seasons, and that should create more open shots for all involved. We might not see the Splash Brothers pulling some of those amazing, long-ranging 3-pointers that were among the best spectacles in the league last season. But the fast-paced and explosive offense should be as good as it’s ever been with the addition of Durant. Their defense shouldn’t suffer either, as Durant proved in the Western Conference Finals he’s capable of being an effective defender.
That was essentially how the Warriors were so demoralizing and overwhelming all season. Opponents had to play their best for 48 minutes on both ends of the floor. Durant adds perfectly to that formula.
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Now more than ever, Golden State becomes a destination for free agents to come and take a pay cut in hopes of winning a championship. Such signings will be key moving forward, as the Warriors will be losing Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, and Festus Ezeli to make room for Durant. A lot of the Warriors’ success last season came from their superstar trio in Curry, Thompson, and Green, but the contributions from the supporting cast were almost as important to their success. Bench play shouldn’t take much of a step back, based on what new players will bring to the table looking to win a ring and that will be something that the Warriors can use to their advantage to maintain depth.
Comparing Durant signing with the Warriors to LeBron James’ moves to Miami, then back to Cleveland isn’t really fair when it comes to on-the-court experience. The situations simply aren’t the same.
The addition of James turned his respective teams into contenders —and both the Heat and Cavaliers took a year to gel. Durant is going into a situation where a system is in place, and to put it simply, he’s an upgrade to what was already there. The key pieces on Golden State have been playing with each other for their entire careers (outside of Andre Iguodala), so the learning curve won’t be nearly as great. Durant is without question one of the best players in the league, and plugging him into a system such as Golden State’s shouldn’t disrupt what’s been going on in The Bay for the past two seasons.
The Warriors will have the greatest of microscopes placed on them next season. Every little argument in a timeout will be magnified, every tweet examined, all body language interpreted to likely unreasonable levels. But at first glance, this seems to be a good fit all around, and if you’re a season ticket holder or fan of the Warriors, it’s not going to get better than this. It’s impossible.
The 2016-17 season could very well be the beginning of a dynasty, as the new group of four in Oakland should have at least three years together, with Steph Curry set for an extension after next season, Klay Thompson signed through 2018-19, and Draymond Green signed through 2019-20. The Thompson and Green contracts look even better now, after seeing some of the contracts handed out during free agency so far this summer.
And yes, Durant signed just a two-year deal with an opt-out in the second year, but that’s simply to maximize his earnings. As long as things go well with Golden State, that’s nothing to worry about. He’s not going anywhere.
Early thoughts might be that Golden State could surpass their 73-win mark from this past season, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Steve Kerr take a more conservative approach in resting his guys next season. Especially with Durant, Thompson, and Green participating in the Rio Olympics this summer.
Whether or not you’re a fan of the Warriors, watching them next season will undoubtedly be one of the more interesting things in the NBA we’ve seen in some time. We might also have it for a while moving forward, and witness the latest dynasty in the storied history of the NBA.
