Steve Kerr Says Warriors Aren't Bothered by Kevin Durant's Free Agency
November 14, 2018
The Golden State Warriors are apparently not worried at all about potentially losing a generational talent who won the last two NBA Finals MVP awards to free agency.
According to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, "Warriors coach Steve Kerr says the team is not bothered" by the possibility Durant will leave. The nine-time All-Star has a player option on his contract for 2019-20 season.
Kerr's suggestion it isn't an issue comes at a time when off-court drama has dominated recent headlines for the defending champions. The Warriors announced Draymond Green was suspended for Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Hawks after an altercation with Durant.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported, "In midst of verbal exchange on court late in Monday's game, Draymond Green challenged Kevin Durant about Durant's impending free agency. As teammates came at Green about his turnover, he responded. This has been a simmering issue for the Warriors today."
Golden State fell in overtime to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, and Green elected to keep the ball himself for a potential winning shot at the end of regulation instead of passing to Durant. It led to a back-and-forth on the bench, and Adrian Wojnarowski and Spears reported it spilled into the locker room after the loss with other teammates confronting Green.
The report noted "some witnesses described the closed-door exchange as one of the most intense of the Warriors era" and that "Durant's impending free agency heightens the sensitivity of the turmoil."
Despite the headlines, the Warriors are still sitting atop the Western Conference at 11-3 and loaded with game-changing talent that figures to compete for a three-peat come May and June.
The combination of Durant, Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins (once he returns from an Achilles injury) is unmatched across the league, and the core is battle-tested after reaching the last four NBA Finals. A three-peat would be the first in the league since the Los Angeles Lakers did so from 2000 through 2002.
Even if Durant does leave, it will come after the Warriors established themselves as a modern-day dynasty. Perhaps that explains Kerr's lack of pressing concern.