We’ve read plenty about the Warriors two big unrestricted free agents in Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, but the Warriors will have a decision to make about backup point guard Quinn Cook, too.
Cook is slated to become a free agent this summer, and despite finding a home in The Bay after being waived by NBA teams four times in his career, he would like to remain teammates with childhood friend Durant if possible, according to The New York Post.
Cook meet Durant when he was 7 at the Seat Pleasant Activity Center in Maryland and they came up through the same AAU system as kids. Durant, who is five years older than Cook, has been an older brother figure to Cook throughout their lives, and he’d like for them to stay close on and off the court.
“Any time you get to play with one of your best friends at the highest level is obviously a great thing,’’ he said. “He helps me so much off the floor and even more on the floor. He gets me so many open shots. We have a great connection out there. We know each other. We’ve been playing together the past 10-plus years.
“It’s always great for me to come to work with a guy like that every day to see how hard he works and how much time he puts in his craft. I get to learn from a guy like that every day.’’
If the Warriors aren’t able to keep Durant in house beyond this season, it could mean that they end up losing Cook to free agency, too. This is, of course, predicated on the idea that whoever signs Durant is also going to want Cook.
However, with Rich Kleiman facilitating any deals between Durant and his future team, he could hit at the idea of Durant needing one of his best friends on the roster with him as a part of a package deal.
For a team like the New York Knicks, who have been rumored the most to be in the running for Durant’s services, making room for Cook shouldn’t be a problem.
No matter what happens, it’ll be interesting to see how things play out.
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