Draymond Green and Kevin Durant had their ups and downs as teammates in the Bay, but the pair secured two championships together with the Golden State Warriors before Durant left to join the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.
On Friday, Green appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and made a major announcement involving the two-time NBA Finals MVP after the Warriors’ season-ending 121-100 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on May. 14.
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“When it (Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers) first happened, we were at a Warriors charity poker tournament,” Green said. “I had just saw Joe Lacob 10 minutes before this happened. Joe gets excited.”
“Joe goes, ‘Draymond, I think we’re going to get Kevin Durant. It’s right there at the finish line. It’s happening. We’re getting Kevin Durant back’. I’m like, ‘Oh, man. Here we go. Let’s go.’ And we talk about it. He asks if I think it’ll work. I said absolutely. He leaves, he comes running back two minutes later like, ‘Draymond! Draymond!”
“I wasn’t supposed to say anything. Don’t say nothing to nobody.’ I’m like, ‘Joe, I got you. I won’t say anything to anyone.’ “So we’re at this tournament, and I go sit down, and about 15 minutes later, Steph (Curry) yells, ‘Draymond, you see the trade?’
“And I go, ‘It happened?’ Steph goes, ‘Wait, who?’ I said, ‘Oh, never mind, nobody. What happened?’ And he’s like, ‘Luka got traded.’
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The Warriors aggressively pursued Durant, who competes with the Phoenix Suns, before this year’s Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Many believed that assets such as Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins could headline a potential trade package for the isolation guru.
However, after Durant announced he planned to forgo a possible reunion in the Bay and remain with the Suns, the Warriors pivoted to other high-level wing targets.
The organization ultimately swapped Wiggins for Jimmy Butler on Feb. 5, which later allowed them to avoid missing the Play-In Tournament following an uninspiring start to the year.
Still, the Dubs’ second-round exit (courtesy of the Timberwolves) made one thing clear: the franchise should make another blockbuster move to support its standout, Curry.
Once Curry was diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain early in the Western Conference semifinals and didn’t return, Golden State’s offense was lethargic.
Butler and Kuminga led the way for Steve Kerr’s squad, but their production wasn’t enough to help them overcome a major injury blow.
By pairing Curry with a 6-foot-11 scoring machine (Durant) with whom he’s shared tremendous moments, the Dubs could snag another NBA title before Curry inevitably exits the NBA.
With the dysfunctional Suns likely parting with Durant after 2.5 seasons, Golden State shouldn’t hesitate to contact the 36-year-old phenom this offseason.
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