Knicks fans should be rooting for Warriors to reunite with Kevin Durant in trade
For the third game of their road trip, the New York Knicks are in San Francisco to take on a struggling Golden State Warriors squad. A month into the 2022-23 season, the Warriors sit 12th in the West with a 6-9 record. It was only five months ago when Golden State won its fourth title in eight years, and for the Warriors to have a chance to repeat, a lot is going to need to change.
An interesting development that surrounded the Golden State Warriors organization during the offseason was potentially reuniting with Kevin Durant. The Nets forward requested a trade at the end of June and it wasn’t until a couple of months later that he decided that he wanted to remain in Brooklyn for the time being.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in September, Curry said that he was “never hesitant” about the idea of the Warriors trading for KD. Clearly, Golden State is fine without Durant as they have won a title since he signed with the Nets in 2019, but with Brooklyn once again underachieving this season, the Durant trade rumors could get fired back up. And if that happens, Knicks fans should be pulling for the 12-team All-Star to leave the Atlantic Division to head back out West.
What would a Kevin Durant-Warriors trade mean for the Knicks?
With New York failing to trade for Donovan Mitchell over the summer, the Knicks still have their treasure chest of first-round picks that can be used to bring a star to MSG.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported last week that NBA executives believe that New York is going to use its “trove” of first-round picks for a megastar. That’s been the plan for a while now, but with the Nets not being able to escape their neverending drama, Durant could go back on the market. There would certainly be benefits to the Knicks trading for a star like KD, but given his age and the fact that Sean Marks would likely rather do anything but trade Durant across town, it might be wise for New York to not actively pursue KD if he does become available. That’s where Golden State comes in.
For the fans that aren’t interested in the idea of Durant playing for the Knicks, him going to the Warriors would finally put that talk to rest. And if Golden State fails to find its footing in the coming months, maybe the front office would be willing to offer Brooklyn a deal to get Durant back in California.
When the Warriors emerged as a landing spot for Durant over the summer, it was bizarre at first, but then it started to make sense. If the same scenario plays out during the season, maybe this time the Nets will proceed with trading Durant.
