warrior godfather

Durant's process from contacting various teams to making a decision at the end is just a piece of simple news to outsiders, but behind the cold words, it is an extremely tortuous road.

After the finals, Kleiman initially dispelled Durant's idea of ​​joining the Warriors, and the Warriors did not have any contact with Durant, which shattered the last hope in Durant's heart and completely died.

Just a little bit, he embarked on the most difficult road.

After excluding the Warriors who are on his mind, the second thing Durant wants to go to is the Bulls.

The Bulls are strong and disciplined. Both Rose and Butler are tough and stable stars at critical moments, which are completely different from Westbrook.

Stevens coached the Bulls for three years and received numerous praises. Durant could not play under Zhang Yu, and playing under his assistant coach is also a good choice.

Moreover, Durant has played against Rose and Butler directly in the finals, and has an intuitive understanding of their strength. This is the biggest reason why he wants to go to the Bulls the most besides the Warriors.

However, when Kleiman approached Bulls general manager Gar Foreman, he declined.

Durant was very surprised. He never expected that there would be a team that would reject him.

It was Kleiman who used his contacts to find out that the reason why the Bulls rejected Durant was because they had already won a championship with this lineup. Steady reinforcement, take a long way.

In other words, the Bulls already have a championship in their hands, so there is no need to overdraw the future and fight for a chance to win the championship.

In desperation, Durant could only give up the idea of ​​going to the Bulls, and instead contacted his second favorite target-the Cavaliers.

The original league structure was one super and many strong, with the Warriors at the top, followed by the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Thunder. Now the Warriors and Bulls don’t want Durant, and he doesn’t want to stay in the Thunder. If he wants to go to a strong team, only the Cavaliers can chosen.

But what Durant didn't expect was that the Cavaliers also rejected him!
When he heard the news from Kleiman, Durant was completely confused.

It’s fine if the Bulls don’t want me. They won a championship. Don’t be so anxious. You can follow the steps and take it step by step. Your Cavaliers just got swept by the Warriors in the finals and lost horribly. Why don’t you worry?
It was Kleiman's contacts that played a role. He used all his connections to find out why the Cavaliers rejected Durant.

In order to form the Big Three, the Cavaliers' capital has long exceeded the salary cap. Last season, they paid a huge luxury tax of 5400 million US dollars. If Durant wants to join the Cavaliers, he cannot directly sign a contract. The Cavaliers must sign with the Thunder.

But the Cavaliers management is unwilling to do this. They have already paid three first-round picks in Love's deal. If you get the draft pick, you will completely overdraw the future.

Cavaliers general manager David Griffin is unwilling to pay such a high price for a championship. He would rather maintain the current lineup and continue to try to compete for the championship instead of continuing to stud.

Although the Cavaliers do not have a championship, their reasons for rejecting Durant are the same as the Bulls, so Durant can only extinguish his thoughts about going to the Cavaliers.

But what he and Kleiman didn't know was that the Cavaliers' rejection of Durant had something to do with the Warriors.

When Kleiman contacted the Cavaliers, Cavaliers owner Gilbert was ecstatic and immediately agreed to join Durant, but changed his mind after being persuaded by David Griffin.

"Durant is indeed very good. He is one of the best superstars in the league, but our problem cannot be solved by stacking stars. Our offense is already very good. Last season, the Warriors' offensive efficiency was not as good as ours, but the finals We were swept by the Warriors because we couldn't defend the Warriors' offense, Durant is not good at defense, and we can't afford four All-Star salaries, who are we going to send away?"

Gilbert said without hesitation:
"Of course it's Kevin. He hasn't played at all in the Timberwolves in the past two seasons."

David Griffin said:
"Then the Thunder will definitely ask for more draft picks. Are we going to overdraw the future just to get Durant? Don't forget, LeBron's contract is only two years old. If Durant comes, we still don't have If he wins the championship, whether he will stay or not is hard to say, if he, Durant, and Irving all leave, it will be a waste of money."

Gilbert shook his head and laughed:

"How is it possible! You have seen the performance of LeBron and Kyrie in the playoffs, but Kevin is holding back. If he is replaced by Durant, how could he not win the championship?"

David Griffin said seriously:

"It's not possible to fail, it's very likely to fail! Our biggest opponent is the Warriors. Durant has repeatedly lost to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, and LeBron has never won the Warriors. Their strength is actually far from being as strong as the media touted. .”

"Besides, LeBron and Kyrie need the ball. Durant is also a scorer. It is not known whether the three ball-handlers can be compatible. This is a very risky operation. Even if they can Compatible, and it is very likely that they will not be able to beat the Warriors with a more balanced lineup."

Gilbert's face became very ugly, and he said:
"We can't beat the Warriors right now. According to you, even Durant can't beat the Warriors, so why should we fight for the championship?"

David Griffin shook his head and said:

"No, it's not that we have no chance, it's just that the chance is relatively small."

Gilbert's eyes lit up:
"Tell me, where is our opportunity?"

David Griffin said:
"The Warriors are indeed very strong now, and they can even be said to be a dominant super team. They sweep everything and have no opponents, but they also have weaknesses. Four championships in five years is the ultimate glory, but it also makes the Warriors fall into the sequelae of the dynasty."

"In addition to Antetokounmpo who renewed his contract this summer, in two seasons, the Warriors will have five major contracts that will take effect, and the No. [-] pick Wiggins will renew his contract. The role players whose contracts expire will also ask With a big contract, the Warriors will definitely not be able to keep it, and their strength will definitely drop a lot.”

"You mean we can compete for a title then? But LeBron is 33 years old, we don't have that long to wait."

David Griffin shook his head and said:

"Of course not, that's just an ideal situation, but according to my observation, the current lineup of the Warriors cannot be extended until that time. Antetokounmpo signed a contract extension close to the maximum salary, and he will certainly not be satisfied with The position of the substitute, and Green is the defensive core of the Warriors. The flag has died down."

"If you win too many championships, people's hearts will be scattered. Warriors players will definitely have their own ideas. Leonard's uncle is not a quiet person. Would he be willing to let Leonard stay in the Warriors as the second master? And Z The coach also likes to use rookies instead of veterans. Antetokounmpo and Wiggins are both talented, and the requirements for playing time will only increase, and the conflict with the main players will become more and more serious, so I think the Warriors are likely to fall apart next season."

Gilbert nodded again and again, agreeing with his words very much, but still quite puzzled:

"Then shouldn't we sign Durant more, strengthen our strength, and take advantage of the decline of the Warriors to compete for the championship?"

David Griffin said:
"Of course it is possible to do this, but it is extremely risky. After all, the Warriors' lineup is at its peak, and no one knows how it will develop in the future. If Coach Z can keep the current lineup for one more season, even if we have Duran It doesn't help; if the Warriors really fall apart, even without Durant, we have a good chance of winning the championship."

"So I don't recommend signing Durant. We have already paid a lot of chips on Love, and the deal with the Knicks has used up some future assets. If we sign with the Thunder...I don't think a championship is worth it. Overdraft our draft picks for the next decade."

"The most important thing is that LeBron joined the Heat because he couldn't win the championship with the Cavaliers before. Durant didn't renew his contract with the Thunder this time. If this venture fails, after their contract expires, what might we do? If you can’t get it, if you lose the present and the future at the same time, it will be very difficult to turn around.”

In the end, Gilbert was persuaded by David Griffin and reluctantly rejected Durant.

If it was just to overdraw the future, Gilbert would have made a bet, but James and Durant faced the Warriors, their resumes of repeated defeats, and their move to abandon their old clubs without hesitation for the championship made him dare not Bet on them.

Instead of overdrawing everything to fight for a championship, it is better to hold on to the remaining draft picks and preserve a little vitality for the future of the Cavaliers.

……

After being rejected by the Cavaliers, Durant joined a strong team, and his idea of ​​immediately competing for the championship was completely shattered. He could only choose his next home from other teams and walk a difficult road.

But the Clippers, Heat, Wizards and many other teams were not favored by Durant.

The Clippers are quite sincere, but Durant doesn't think the Clippers are a strong team. Although he met the Clippers' delegation, he didn't list it as an option.

Wade and Bosh are old, going to the Heat has neither present nor future

Wall and Bill are too immature, and Durant is not interested in going to his hometown team to help the poor.

In the end, he was persuaded by an old and young team.

On July 7, Durant published a personal letter titled "My Next Chapter" on the website he invested in, The Players' Tribune, announcing his final decision:
"These past few weeks have been probably the most challenging time of my career. I am very clear that this crossroads is not only the key to my career as a player, but also the key to my life. It is a time like this. It is really difficult to make a decision... I made this decision, the most important thing is my growth space as a player, I will join the Boston Celtics and start a new journey!"