The Warriors have spent the offseason chasing a fix for a roster that has not delivered on the hopes around Stephen Curry, and the list of targets has already thinned out fast. Jaylen Brown slipped away.
LeBron James landed in Philadelphia. Anthony Davis is off the board.
For a franchise still built around Curry, that kind of run has turned a high-expectation summer into a rough one.
That is why Kevin Durant keeps coming back into the conversation.
Golden State is reportedly locked in on a possible Durant reunion, and the fit is obvious on one level: the Warriors know exactly what he looks like next to Curry because they already lived it. Durant helped power Golden State to championships in 2017 and 2018, winning Finals MVP both times, and his first run with the team still stands as the clearest proof that the pairing works when the roster around them is right.
During those three seasons with the Warriors, Durant put up 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 52.4% from the field and 38.4% from three.
Last season showed he still has plenty left. Durant averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.9 blocks while shooting 52.0% from the field, 41.3% from three and 87.4% from the line.
He also made the All-NBA Second Team. Age has not dulled the production.
The proposed deal would send Durant and Jae’Sean Tate to Golden State. To make the money work, the Warriors would have to part with Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis, along with a first-round pick if they decide to finally pull the trigger.
On paper, the trade gives each side something it needs.
Houston just handed Durant a new contract, which is why a trade would sound strange at first. The Rockets clearly brought him in to be the veteran star who can lift a young group into title contention. But their first-round playoff exit last season raised questions about chemistry and whether this version of the team is actually ready to win.
That’s where the idea of a swap starts to make sense. If Houston is still sorting out how much the offense should run through Durant, then moving him for two forwards who can help shape the roster in a different way could be a real option.
Green, now 36, would bring defense, passing and leadership to Houston’s young core. He averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks last season, and his defensive rating was 115.0.
Porzingis would give the Rockets another frontcourt piece with scoring and spacing, after posting 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.2 blocks while shooting 44.6% from the field and 33.8% from three. He would be a fit next to Alperen Sengun.
For Golden State, the appeal is simpler: Durant is still the elite shot-maker it has been searching for all summer. The Warriors need another player who can create offense when possessions bog down, and Durant can still step into a possession late in the clock and get a quality look without a play being drawn up.
There is also the history. The first time Curry and Durant teamed up, opponents never solved it. From 2016-17 through 2018-19, Golden State reached the Finals three straight times and won the first two titles with that offense humming at the top of the league.
The current Warriors do not have that kind of firepower. Curry still has his big nights, but the roster around him has not given the team enough.
That is why a Durant reunion would not just be a nostalgia play. It would be Golden State’s best chance at one more run that actually matters.
In Other News...
Warriors Already Have Early Proof They Nailed A Key Draft Call
Golden State had a chance to get cute on draft night, but instead the front office stayed put and used the 11th pick on Yaxel Lendeborg after declining Oklahoma Citys offer to move up. The deal would have brought back future second-round picks, but the Warriors passed, betting on the player they wanted rather than the extra assets, and that choice already looks like a smart one for a team trying to keep finding value wherever it can.
Lendeborg backed up the decision quickly in summer league, where he was named MVP and helped lead the Warriors to the championship. Oklahoma Citys Aday Mara, taken one spot later, flashed a few encouraging signs, but the early returns have tilted clearly toward Golden State, which at least for now seems to have found a clean win in a draft process that could matter well beyond July. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Get Encouraging Moses Moody Update After Trade Buzz
Moses Moodys recovery has taken a promising step forward, a welcome update for a Warriors team that has spent plenty of time this summer weighing roster possibilities and rotation stability. Four months after surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon, Moody is making good progress in his rehab, and the organization is expected to stay patient rather than push him back before he is ready.
The next checkpoint matters, though, because it will help frame just how soon Golden State can realistically count on him again. If the rehab keeps trending in the right direction, Moody should remain part of the conversation for the Warriors when he returns, which gives the team at least one encouraging internal storyline to monitor as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Face One Trade Dilemma In Pursuit Of Bench Scoring
The Warriors search for more bench scoring has only become more urgent as the roster has settled into its new shape, and one name floating in that conversation is tied to Milwaukees post-Giannis reshuffling. After Giannis Antetokounmpo was dealt to the Heat, the Bucks brought in several pieces, and among the players drawing outside attention is a young wing who turned in a strong season and has the kind of offensive profile that could help Golden States second unit.
Even so, the path to a deal does not look simple. League chatter has centered on the idea of using draft capital to make it happen, but the Warriors have been cautious about moving future picks, especially for a player whose contract situation adds another layer of complexity. Between the price in assets and the extension questions that come with it, this is the sort of trade idea that sounds helpful for a bench that needs scoring, yet still feels unlikely to become real unless the market shifts. [Read more 🡒]