The Golden State Warriors’ 2022 NBA Finals MVP, Stephen Curry, recently spoke with Rolling Stone as part of their October cover story. When asked about a possible reunion with Kevin Durant after the Brooklyn Nets requested a trade, he said emphatically, “Hell, yeah! ”
After winning back-to-back championships, KD abruptly left Golden State for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. However, Curry believes Durant is “misunderstood” and would have gladly welcomed him back.
“I was never hesitant,” Curry, who led the league in 3-pointers said. “The idea of playing with KD and knowing who he is as a person, from our history in those three years, I think KD’s a really good dude. I think he is misunderstood.”
“I think he has had certain things happen in his life that hurt his ability to trust people around him, in a sense of making him feel safe at all times. So all of those things, I understand, having played with him and gotten to know him. I love that dude,” he added.
KD should regret leaving Warriors
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith responded similarly to Curry when asked if KD should regret the decision to leave the Warriors.
“Hell yes,” Smith said. “I think that’s obvious. There’s no way around that.”
After the Oklahoma City Thunder exploded to a three-game series lead in the Western Conference finals in 2016, Smith was initially skeptical of Durant’s choice to sign with the Warriors.
“To put myself on front street,” Smith said, “We all know I was on the record years ago when he left Oklahoma City, calling it the weakest move that I’ve ever seen by a superstar.”
Durant joined the Nets after they were defeated by the Toronto Raptors in 2019. After rupturing his Achilles in the NBA Finals, Durant was scheduled to miss the entire 2019-20 season, but he was eager to get back to work.
“Having said all of that, it doesn’t take away that the man went there, won back-to-back titles, and they would have blown Toronto out of the building, out of the country of Canada, if Kevin Durant was healthy against Kawhi Leonard,” Smith said.
“There is no way in hell the Toronto Raptors would have beaten the Golden State Warriors in six games in the NBA Finals if Kevin Durant, and ultimately Klay Thompson in that Game 6, had not gotten hurt.”
Durant decided to join forces with Kyrie Irving and sign with Brooklyn shortly after the 2019 NBA Finals loss to Toronto. They achieved very little during their three seasons together, winning only one playoff series.
“Last year, everybody in the [Durant] camp got mad at me because I said if the Golden State Warriors win, people are going to be talking more about KD leaving Steph to join Kyrie than they would be talking about his two titles,” Smith said.
Upcoming 2022-23 NBA season
In 2022, Brooklyn was lucky to make the playoffs after James Harden forced his way out of the team, and Irving only played 29 games after deciding not to get the COVID vaccination. The Nets finished 44-38, far from a title contender’s record. The Warriors, on the other hand, won their fourth championship in eight years
The Brooklyn starters should be able to compete with, if not outperform, Golden State in the upcoming 2022-23 NBA season. Now that the COVID pandemic is over, Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Irving should be able to play the entire season in New York. The Warriors will face the Nets twice this season, once on the road on December 21 and once at Chase Center on January 22.