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The Many Ripple Effects Of The Kevin Durant-Warriors Decision

By Gerald Bourguet

May 30, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is congratulated by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) after game seven of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 96-88. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
May 30, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is congratulated by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) after game seven of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 96-88. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kevin Durant
Feb 21, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

The Rest Of The League

The Mavs are the biggest byproduct of Kevin Durant’s decision among the non-involved teams, but there’s no question the ripple effects extend to the rest of the league.

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For starters, any dreams of the Cleveland Cavaliers repeating as NBA champions have since turned to nightmares. Although the Cavs pulled off the greatest upset in Finals history and LeBron finally brought a title back to his home, Cleveland has no cap room to improve its roster and is about to lose Matthew Dellavedova to a four-year offer from the Milwaukee Bucks.

If LeBron goes into full Terminator mode in the Finals again next year, perhaps Cleveland will have a fighting chance against a super-team undergoing its first full season together. But he did that this year, against a team that didn’t have Kevin Durant, and the Warriors were still a Draymond Green suspension away from possibly closing out the series in five games.

Durant has never found lasting success against LeBron in this league, but he’ll be plugged into a system that’s perfectly suited for his talents on a team that’s had the Cavs’ number over the last two years (until falling apart in the last three games of the Finals, of course).

With the formation of another super-team, there’s another angle to consider: the understandable outrage of a former MVP joining the reigning MVP — in both of their primes — to dominate a league that some already felt was lacking in parity.

At this rate, only the San Antonio Spurs and the newly acquired Pau Gasol can hold a candle to the Warriors in the West, and even they might crumble under the sheer amount of firepower and perimeter shooting the Warriors bring to the table.

For the time being, we’re all but guaranteed a Part 3 of Warriors vs. Cavaliers in 2017. That lack of drama will rub a lot of people the wrong way, and you can be guaranteed this perfectly legal move will raise questions — and possibly a lockout — by the time the next Collective Bargaining Agreement comes into play.

More hoops habit: How The Golden State Warriors' Historic Season Slipped Away

The creation of super-teams is not a new concept, but the Warriors have perfected it by landing one of the best five players in the league. Only time will tell if that leads to more championships, pardoning Durant’s legacy and his decision to leave OKC while also ushering in a new and completely controversial era of NBA basketball.

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