Kevin Durant on LeBron James to Warriors rumors: ‘Bullshit’
Durant doesn’t think LeBron is joining Golden State. Then again, the Warriors made space for another star two summers ago.
As reports continue to cycle of LeBron James’s potential desire to leave Cleveland for Golden State this summer, one player isn’t buying it one bit: Kevin Durant.
Durant said as much during Warriors’ shootaround on Thursday after a reporter asked his initial reaction to the newest LeBron free-agency rumor:
“Bullshit,” Durant said, via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “Bullshit, but in this league, just like a couple years ago, me coming here nobody would have thought that. It’s part of me as a basketball player, like let’s just worry about basketball. Then on the other side, we know it’s business as well, and a lot of crazy things have happened since I’ve been in the league. And in the future, it’s gonna be even crazier things that are going to happen.”
Kevin Durant asked the first thing he thought about when he read LeBron report: "Bullshit."
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 1, 2018
(Whoops: Video sideways) pic.twitter.com/zlOXPnWjVY
Warriors forward David West was asked a similar question about the LeBron-to-Golden State rumors. HIs answer?
“He’s gotta get No. 23 from [Draymond Green],” he said.
David West asked about the LeBron rumor, shakes his head: "He gotta get #23 from Draymond"
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 1, 2018
Is LeBron actually going to Golden State?
Probably not. A move like that would cause even your favorite basketball video game to question its very existence. A league promoting competitive balance would look awfully bad if its best player left his team for one that’s had his number in two of the past three years. It would actually look a lot like Durant’s decision to leave the Thunder for the Warriors, except much worse.
Besides, the initial report by ESPN’s Chris Haynes didn’t definitively say James was going to the Warriors in free agency. It merely said James “could” meet with Golden State if they shed enough cap space to offer him a max deal. Haynes also reports that the Warriors don’t plan on creating said space for a max contract for James at this time.
In layman’s terms: The King probably, more than likely, isn’t going to Golden State. It’s a fun thought, but it’s just not gonna happen. Durant knows that, and the rest of the Warriors probably do, too.
Keep dreaming though, NBA fans. Keep dreaming.