Kevin Durant Agrees to Two-Year Deal with Warriors

The NBA is set for a shake-up of monumental proportions as 2014 MVP Kevin Durant announced on Monday via The Players Tribune that he was going to the Golden State Warriors.

The news is shocking as it was widely expected that Durant would re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder after having reached the Western Conference Finals, taking a 3-1 series lead against Golden State.

The Thunder, of course, went on to lose the following three games in dramatic fashion.

Now, the league is set for a dramatic shift in the Western Conference as the Warriors become the epitome of what a super team in 2016 should look like with Durant joining Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and of course reigning MVP Stephen Curry.

Immediately, the prediction is that Durant forms a new “death line-up” for the Warriors with the aforementioned players. The combination without the small forward was already immensely effective and Durant figures to make them virtually impossible to stop.

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With their new addition, the Warriors are now expected to move or let go of players such as Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut.

The Golden State Warriors succumbed to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals this past June and a return to the championship series with Durant in tow is expected to make them the clear cut favorite in any scenario.

For the Oklahoma City Thunder, the news is devastating. Not only is Durant one of the best players in the world, but his contributions to the community are impossible to quantify.

Most notably, his $1 million donation in 2013 after Oklahoma suffered from a tornado made him a hero to the state.

The Thunder now find themselves looking to add pieces to fill the void left, with the obvious fact that it is impossible to replace the superstar with anyone still available on the market. There are also the rumors that Enes Kanter is expected to be sent to the Portland TrailBlazers.

Russell Westbrook now becomes the sole focal point of the team, however he is also set to become a free agent this coming summer.

The question becomes, will the Thunder try to build a team around Westbrook? Or, do they attempt to trade him away before possibly losing him for nothing when the season concludes?

Without Durant on the squad, the latter becomes a more likely possibility.

Durant leaves the Thunder after being with the team since 2008.

Per ESPN, Durant’s meeting with the Warriors went very well.

On hand were Curry, Thompson, Green, Iguodala, head coach Steve Kerr, general manager Bob Myers, and owner Joe Lacob.

While it may not sound as fun as the Celtics meeting that included Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the Warriors meeting clearly made an impression.

A huge factor is thought to be a phone call made from NBA legend and Warriors executive Jerry West to Durant.

West reportedly did not tell the superstar outright which team to choose. Rather, he simply gave his take on why Golden State was the best fit for him.

He reportedly told Durant that every facet of his game, not just his scoring, would be highlighted with the Warriors. He also told the forward that he would be more efficient, being able to provide the same number of points without having to take as many shots due to the offensive assistance from the team.

West also spoke to Durant from the perspective of having fallen several times in the Finals. While West did win a championship with the Lakers, he also lost in his first seven trips to the championship series. He spoke to Durant’s undoubted frustration in speaking about how those losses still bother him to this day.

It is expected that the Warriors will have an official press conference presenting Durant in the coming days. Durant’s deal is set to be worth $54.3 million with a player option after the first year.

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