Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant will be the biggest name on the free agency market this summer, and while OKC and his hometown Washington Wizards were expected to be the two frontrunners to land him, the defending champion Golden State Warriors have reportedly emerged as the favorite to land him. However, that's not necessarily in the best interest of the Warriors.
Obviously, on paper, this move a lot of sense Durant is the third best player in the league behind Warriors point guard Stephen Curry and LeBron James, and many think he's the best pure scorer in NBA history. Anytime you can add a player of that caliber who's still just 27 years old, you have to do it - especially with the salary cap exploding. Plus, they'd severely weaken another Western Conference contender.
That being said, the fit with the Warriors simply wouldn't work, and he'd have to take a pay cut to play with Golden State. Durant isn't a ball-dominant player, but he does have to have the ball in hands a good amount for him to be the most effective. Right now, Curry is that guy for the Warriors, and they'd have to totally change their offense - which is already the best in league history - and there's no guarantee it could get back to where they are now. Read more NBA news in the Chat Sports iPhone and Android apps.
As for the salary cap situation, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are under contract through 2019 and 2020, respectively, while Curry will be a free agent in the summer of 2017. The cap does increase drastically this offseason, but both Durant and Curry will demand max contracts, which have also increased to match the salary cap. Essentially, the Warriors couldn't sign both - if they sign Durant, they won't be able to re-sign Curry unless he agrees to take a lot less, and you can't expect that to happen.
The idea of putting Durant on this Warriors team is a fun one, but wouldn't make any sense on paper. Basketball-wise, it would throw a wrench into a Golden State machine that is already breaking every record in the books. Salary cap-wise, it doesn't work unless both Durant and Curry agree to take less money.
If you're the Warriors, don't mess with a great thing by going after Durant. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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