When the Golden State Warriors wanted to recruit Kevin Durant to the franchise in 2016, the superstars of the team traveled to New York and met with Durant in a rented house in the Hamptons to argue their case. Real connections more than fancy presentation were what Durant wanted and apparently he was sold on the team’s sincerity.
But two championships later and Durant finds himself in a very different situation In New York recovering from surgery to his ruptured right Achilles tendon, instead of “elaborate recruiting pitches,” according to Mark Medina, Durant wants to do his research alone and discuss with his agent behind the scenes before speaking with teams.
Prior reports stated that Warriors general manager Bob Myers — the person in the front office with whom Durant has been closest — will travel to New York to convince the former two-time Finals MVP to stay in Golden State. Now, The Athletic‘s Shams Charania reports that Stephen Curry will join him in the Big Apple for the meeting.
Curry was emotionally rocked after Durant went down in Game 5 of the Finals with the injury. So, there is probably no teammate more sincere to bring along for the recruiting trip.
Plus, of the other starters, Klay Thompson is dealing with a torn ACL in the Los Angeles area, DeMarcus Cousins is unlikely to remain with the team in 2019-20 and Draymond Green hasn’t always been the best teammate to Durant.
Durant is expected to meet with three other teams: New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. Reports also surfaced that Durant is in discussions with Finals rival Kawhi Leonard, who also is a free agent, on possibly teaming up together.
