Golden State Warriors: 10 greatest free agent signings ever
By Drew Taylor
#1. Kevin Durant
It’s almost impossible to find a free agent signing so successful yet so controversial like the one that brought Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors.
In the 2016 Western Conference Finals, Golden State faced off against the Oklahoma City Thunder led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. After winning the 2015 NBA Finals, the Warriors were looking to repeat.
They found themselves down 3-1 versus the Thunder, however, just one game away from elimination.
The Warriors still found a way, like they always seemed to do, winning the next three games en route to another Finals appearance.
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Little did we know that this very series would be the last time we saw Kevin Durant in a Thunder jersey; that summer, following the heartbreaking loss, Kevin Durant signed with the very team that defeated him and his squad in the Western Conference Finals; he inked a two-year, $54.3 million contract with the Warriors.
The deal instantly sparked controversy. Many accused Kevin Durant of taking the easy route by signing with an already dominant team, a team that won 73 games just a season prior and an NBA title just two seasons prior.
Despite the bad feelings towards KD and towards the Warriors organization as a whole, the reality was that a team coming off the winning-est NBA season of all-time just added another MVP.
The consistent booing, name-calling, and signs with cupcakes or snakes didn’t seem to affect KD or the Warriors. In fact, it didn’t seem to affect them at all.
That very season, the Warriors went on to win 67 regular season games and only lost once in the playoffs en route to an NBA title. Though injured for all of March, Durant averaged 25.1 points per game on the season and won the Finals MVP to win his first championship.
Coming into the 2017-2018 NBA season, the Warriors were the overwhelming favorites to win their third title in four years. And they did exactly that.
Though they only won 58 regular season games and struggled a little more than usual, the Warriors easily swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals. That season, KD averaged 26.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game and again won the Finals MVP, this time for his second championship.
However, just a few weeks into the 2018-19 season and only a few months after KD signed another player option 2-year deal, the Warriors dynamic began to deteriorate.
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Though they continued to win at a high rate, it was apparent the chemistry on the floor as well as off the floor wasn’t right. On-court alterations and publicized blowups did not help the situation either.
The growing suspicion Kevin Durant would leave after the 2018-19 season along with constant injuries to key players brewed an underwhelming and very unfortunate last season of the Warriors dynasty.
The Warriors still won 57 games and made it to their fifth straight Finals, but they were now more vulnerable and beatable than ever.
Following the 2019 NBA Finals loss to the Toronto Raptors that saw severe injuries to both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, KD did indeed leave the Warriors and joined Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets.
Though it was an abrupt and disappointing end to his Warriors tenure, we must not forget his accolades with the squad. In his three seasons in Golden State, KD was a 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Second Team selection, 1x All-NBA First Team Selection, 2x NBA MVP, and a 2x NBA Champion. Most players fail to achieve this resume in their entire career. KD achieved this in three years.
Though the Warriors were already a dominant team before Kevin Durant’s arrival, his impact on the team is obvious; without him, who knows if the Warriors would’ve won at the rate or fashion in which they did.