Andrew Bogut Comments on Leaving Warriors, Kevin Durant, Mavericks and More

In an interview with Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, Dallas Mavericks center Andrew Bogut opened up on a number of topics, including being traded so that his previous team, the Golden State Warriors, would have the cap space to sign Kevin Durant:

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That's part of the business. I think the deal was done long before the summer. I think it was done -- obviously, K.D. didn't make his concrete decision, but I think our organization knew for a while what was going to happen. That's just a part of it. Andre [Iguodala] and I knew it was one of us that was going to go, and it was me. That's part of the business. I have no gripes about it. You get a Hall of Famer -- he's going to be a Hall of Famer -- in K.D. If I'm the GM, I do the same deal. That's just the reality of the business.

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Bogut, 31, was a key contributor for the Warriors last season, averaging 5.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 20.7 minutes per game across 70 appearances. But with the Warriors needing to clear cap space to sign Durant and clearly valuing Iguodala's versatility and defense, the team opted to trade him to the Mavericks. 

Dallas will certainly have a Bay Area feel to it this season, as it also signed small forward Harrison Barnes, another former Warrior.

Bogut certainly has no qualms about landing in Dallas:

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I've always liked the city -- first off -- off the court. It's kind of a big city, but it's spread out, just kind of more suited to me. I'm not a huge metropolitan kind of guy, so that fit in. And then the organization, everybody that fits here speaks very highly of the way they treat their players, the things they do for their players. It's no secret that it's my 12th year, so I need any help I can get.

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The Mavericks will have a new look this season, with Bogut and Barnes joining the team and Chandler Parsons signing with the Memphis Grizzlies. For Bogut, meanwhile, the 2016-17 season is more than just a transition—it's also a contract year.

"I'm not really too stressed about it," he noted. "It will play itself out. I've never been a free agent in my career. I've always signed an extension the year before I become a free agent, so it's kind of a new path and a new journey that I haven't really experienced."

The Mavs are certainly hoping Bogut has a big year. How Bogut and Barnes coexist with Dirk Nowitzki and Co. will play a huge factor in the team's ability to once again reach the postseason in the stacked Western Conference.

The Mavericks aren't a title contender, which will be an adjustment for Bogut and Barnes. They are more likely to be battling for a seventh or eighth seed. But if Bogut has a big year, the Mavs have the talent to reach the postseason.

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