Kevin Durant Wasting His Time to Help Warriors Get D'Angelo Russell is Beyond Ridiculous
The first 24 hours of NBA free agency were filled with surprises across the board. Arguably one of the most surprising moves was Brooklyn's decision to sign-and-trade All-Star guard D'Angelo Russell to the Golden State Warriors.
Rumblings of a Russell-Lakers reunion were growing as free agency crept closer, but the Warriors, determined to recoup assets for Kevin Durant's departure, swooped in to grab the restricted free agent.
The Warriors and Nets are on course to complete the sign-and-trade that will deliver All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell to Golden State on a four-year, $117M maximum contract, league sources tell ESPN. Kevin Durant and his camp had to help work deal to completion overnight.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2019
The curious part in this deal is the work done by Durant to help the Warriors complete the sign-and-trade. Considering the whispers of Durant feeling under-appreciated by the Warriors during his time there, it's even more odd that he would go out of his way to help Golden State land on its feet.
After five consecutive NBA Finals appearances, the Warriors shouldn't be pitied by anyone, especially not a generational talent like Durant. And with reports surfacing that Golden State plans to trade Russell, this seems like a cruel attempt to help keep its dynasty afloat.
A source close to Kevin Durant said: “All (the drama) showed a lack of respect for one of the greatest players to put that uniform on and the fact that he took all that abuse and still put his career on the line to help them win.” https://t.co/26PYX9C3rt #Warriors #NBAFreeAgency
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) July 1, 2019
If the reports about Durant and Golden State's tenuous relationship are true, there's no reason for Durant to help. The Nets had the cap room to sign Durant and Kyrie Irving outright, but both agreed to sign-and-trades with their former teams. While the Celtics' trade was help for salary cap purposes, the Golden State move doesn't make much sense from Durant's perspective.
Maybe there's more to this story, but it doesn't add up with the information available to the public. Hopefully, we find out more as signings become official and players meet with the media.