They can afford him, as long as they don't add new commitments to their cap next year. They'll have the cap space Durant is currently taking up plus the extra room from the cap increasing again. The proportion of the cap increase is exactly the same as the max deal increase since the max is tied to the cap value. That's why they'll be focusing on one-year deals the rest of this offseason, like the one to Pachulia. They don't want any extra salaries eating into the space Durant will be vacating. Next off-season, Durant will turn down his option, coming off the Warriors' cap, they'll re-sign him with the max contract space they'll have and then they'll go over the cap to re-sign Curry with Bird rights.
LOL: Aran Smith@nbadraftnet about 5 minutes ago OKC fans burning KD jerseys: Show some class! Hello, your team was hijacked from SEA! Its a business,he could be traded. KD owes you nothing
So, Russ, Adams, and Donovan gonna swoop in on a banana boat and lure KD back anytime soon? Cause that'd be great for the NBA... KD spurning the Warriors after commiting... After they lost Barnes and Bogut a man can dream right?
Pathetic...so who besides Pachulia is taking bread crumbs to play with the dream team? Ray Allen? Who else?
How much must Durant not liked playing with Westbrook? They had the Warriors 3-1, got better in the Oladipo, Sabonis, Ilyasova/Ibaka trade, could have been such a legacy there....and now isjust one of a cast of many.
The rumor is that this was actually because Westbrook hinted to Durant that he (Westbrook) might leave next Summer. [Edit: or not: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/r...ons-with-russell-westbrook-led-to-departure/]
Again, I'm not at all surprised. I think he signs with the Lakers. Or..... what if they trade CP3 and he signs with the Clips? How funny would it be if Paul returned to OKC?
The pressure if off everyone else now. No team in the history of the NBA ... heck, maybe anyone other than the Yankees in North American team sports, will have greater expectations on them than the Warriors this coming season. This is a more stacked team than even the Lakers when they added Payton and Malone, because those two guys were at the end of their careers, and the media coverage these days magnifies everything so much more. Anything other than winning the championship convincingly and perhaps breaking their single-season win mark would be a disappointment. So it will be fun to watch how it plays out if the Warriors do sputter or run into adversity. I always was off the opinion that Durant was kind of soft in terms of heart and fortitude. I thought his reaction to the "Mr. Unreliable" headline showed it. I think his deciding to sign with Golden State when his OKC team dropped a 3-1 lead to them last year shows it. He's an incredible talent, and he might be a genuinely good guy, but he's not a leader. He's the most talented player on the Warriors by a wide margin, but I'd put him well behind Curry, Green (regardless of personal feelings about his style of play) and Thompson in terms of intangible toughness. Reminds me of Randy Johnson signing with the Yankees and then melting down.
Some of you clowned me for saying Silver might put his foot down on coddling the Warriors after this Durant move. He could just be spitting BS to protect his image, but if not then there might be some credence to that notion. I think (assuming he's not bsing) that his statements coupled with the recent Draymond incident may lead to the Warriors finally getting called for those screens and other BS some of the players got away with last season. It would certainly be nice to see more parity regarding league wide officiating.
HAHAHAHA that answer. Get rekt... especially for already being dumb and saying "going back to hometown teams" Bruh, Durant's from DC. Can't fix stupid sometimes.
