Kevin Durant Should Definitely Sign with Golden State

… But I sure hope he doesn’t.

Ok, let’s do this KD.

If Durant leaves Oklahoma City, his options appear to be… wait, it doesn’t matter what the other options are.

Golden State just went 73–9, the best regular season all time. Their 3 best players are all top 15 guys in the NBA and all still just entering their primes. They’re all on extremely market-friendly contracts that all come up on different years, perfect for keeping everyone together in the future. They have a great young coach and staff that just won coach of the year and a great fan base that has always been strong. They just came a shot away from one of the greatest seasons in NBA history.

And there is a very clearly defined role on the Warriors that just happens to be open during the one offseason in NBA history that this team can fit a max player, a role where a guy can play strong defense, run the offense at times, shoot open 3s, and punish guys on switches. Literally the role is tailor-made for Kevin Durant. It’s a team fit, a culture fit, an age fit, a need fit. It’s perfect.

There is no human being in the world that would fit the Warriors better than Kevin Durant, and there is no team in the history that fits Durant better than the Warriors.

So enough with your Celtics and Spurs and Heat arguments already. Those teams on their very best days in all their very best scenarios can only ever hope to put together a team as remarkable as the one the Warriors have already — and remember the Ws would get to to add Durant to it.

And don’t try to sell me your money argument. Even if it’s a difference of $3–5 million a year, you have to keep it relative to Durant’s world. He makes $30 million from Nike alone each year. We are talking about maybe a 5% max difference in Durant’s net worth. Let’s say you make $75k a year and are considering a job switch. There’s one job that’s clearly the best, with the best coworkers and best job and a virtual guarantee of success… or there’s another pretty good job at $78k. You’re honestly considering the $78k one? Don’t be stupid.

Don’t bring up the legacy thing either. You know what would make Durant an all-time great? Being a winner of multiple championships, part of the greatest offense in NBA history, and being on the greatest dynasty in two decades of sports, that’s what. Why does everyone think Durant wants to be “the guy” — what have you ever seen that makes you believe that?

If you’re the smartest guy in the room, you need to find a new room. Imagine how hard KD will be pushed every day in a gym with Steph and Dray and Klay. Imagine how much better his shooting will get — terrifying, really — after he loses post-practice shooting contests to his teammates and his coach every day. If you insist on being the best wherever you’re at, you’re an arrogant, entitled prick. Live life with others. Be part of something great.

As for staying in OKC? I get it. Not because of legacy and sure as heck not because he owes them anything — as though he owes any more than what he’s already done to save a franchise that drafted him apart from any volition of his own. And not because he’s a fraud if he leaves or because he gave up or because he missed the chance to be part of something special.

Durant’s had five great chances to be part of something special in OKC. And you know what? He already HAS been part of something special. Those Thunder teams have been awesome. Injuries derailed championship hopes, and now three separate times OKC management has traded away a core talent because they wouldn’t pay up to put the team in the very best spot to win — James Harden, Reggie Jackson, and Serge Ibaka. He owes this team nothing.

Stay in OKC and don’t win a ring, and then watch what we say about his legacy. Now he’s Karl Malone. Now he’s Charles Barkley. Just another loser who couldn’t close the deal and get a ring. So even if Durant is making a legacy move, why not make the move that gives his legacy the best chance of success — and success is defined by titles. Period. At least that’s true of fans and sportswriters and ESPN.

Really that’s all “legacy” is anyway, just some crap we make up when we debate guys and rank them and do #hottakes.

Make no mistake about it. There’s basically no team in NBA history more perfect for Kevin Durant than these Golden State Warriors. It’s almost like the basketball gods lined everything up perfectly for years just to get us here.

The KDWs could win 74, or maybe 82 if they wanted. They could go 16–0 in the postseason. They could have the top three 3-point seasons in NBA history all in the same year. Honestly, nothing would be surprising. It would be amazing. Any solitary loss would be sports headlines for the next 3 or 4 years.

As an NBA fan, it would be a chance to see something new and special and different than anything ever in NBA history.

And yet… I ultimately find the basketball fan in me hoping against hope that Durant stays in Oklahoma City.

The 2016 playoffs were incredible. We managed to have the most blowouts in history while somehow having the most drama all at once. We got back to back 3–1 deficits overcome. We got THOSE Thunder. We got THAT LeBron. We got Believeland.

Assume that KD does re-sign with OKC — and that the Ws are almost certain to re-sign Barnes and Ezeli. That means we get to run this incredible season back again, but now that we know how 73–9 ends, everything changes.

Are LeBron’s Cavs the title favorites? Aren’t they still basically playing for 4 wins in June? Well maybe not… maybe the Celtics are a real challenge now, especially if they package something like Smart, Olynyk, and the Brooklyn pick for Jimmy Butler and come at the Cavs with Bradley, Butler, Crowder, Amir, and Horford plus IT2 off the bench. Sign me up for that.

What happens with OKC? Russ still has only one year left. Imagine the drama if OKC came up short again and Russ left — after Durant has already signed on long term. On the other hand, imagine the fury Russ unleashes with Oladipo at his side in the new offense. There’s nothing in the world like Russ in OKC. If Durant leaves, do we lose that? Maybe OKC is right there, ready to break through. Maybe this version of the Thunder finally catches a break.

And what about these Ws? What will they do for a 73–9 encore? How will they respond to being one shot away from the best season ever? How does Draymond respond to blowing the season? How does Steph respond to an offseason of criticism? How does HB respond to being unwanted? What does this Steph look like, this record-breaking one, when fully healthy in the playoffs? These are all questions we never get answered if Durant signs.

Instead the Ws just coast to the next 3 titles, LeBron becomes Jerry West II with another bunch of Finals losses, Duncan and Manu quietly retire for a Spurs team that has no shot, fun young teams like Minnesota and Milwaukee disband before we ever have a chance to find out if they could break through, and we try this whole NBA thing again in like four years.

Remember the 90s? MJ was awesome, but everyone else sure did suck in hindsight. What a bunch of losers they all were — no other memorable teams and a lot of guys that came up short. If only those Suns or Jazz or Knicks or Heat or Sonics had been better.

Kevin Durant absolutely should sign with the Warriors. It’s a once-in-an-entire-sport chance. It’ll never happen again. It would be amazing.

… I sure hope he doesn’t.

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