Warriors Dream Comes True; Durant Signed To A Contract
OAKLAND (CBS SF) – Calling it a dream come true, the Golden State Warriors welcomed free agent Kevin Durant Thursday while also saying farewell to former starters Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes.
While the team did not release details of the new deal it is widely reported to be a two-year, $54 million contract with the final year being a player option.
The 27-year-old Durant posted a 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5 assists per a game average during the 2015-2016 regular season. He was named to his seventh consecutive NBA All-Star team.
Warriors General Manager Bob Myers said Durant was a dream addition to a team that set a regular season record with 73 wins and got to the final minute of Game 7 of the NBA Finals before falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"I can't believe I'm sitting next to him," Myers said at a news conference introducing Durant. "We just try to get better every time, every day we wake up. You never expect to this much better ... We can all dream, but most of the time dreams don't come true."
Even though media reports had the Warriors among the front-runners for Durant, Myers didn't think they could lure him away from Oklahoma City.
"Until he called me and told me he was going, I didn't think he was coming," Myers said.
Head Coach Steve Kerr joked with Durant in his opening statement.
"I haven't made the decision yet, but he might start," said Kerr with a chuckle from the crowd. "It's safe to say Kevin will fit into every style (of play) ... With the players we already have (Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green), I think it was attractive to him. We have guys who aren't just shooters ... They are basketball players ... Kevin is not just a shooter, he's a basketball player."
Durant said he was particularly moved that Curry, Green, Thompson and Andre Iguodala all came to New York for the team's presentation.
"I was shocked that those guys came to meet with me a couple days ago," he said. "They won 73 games last season and a NBA Championship the year before ... To see them together, they were almost holding hands ... When Steph, Klay, Draymond and Andre walked in they were all business ... It was all about family."
The seven-time All Star said he knew he wanted to join the Warriors on the morning of July 4th. "I woke up at 7 o'clock in the morning," he said "(Went downstairs to his family members and advisers) I said I wanted to go the Warriors ... I gave everyone a hug."
Durant announced his decision that day in a story on "The Players' Tribune" website. Thursday marked the first day free agents could sign their deals. He joins the NBA runner-up Warriors, who rallied from being down 3-1 in Western Conference Finals to beat Durant's former Oklahoma City Thunder in a thrilling seven-game series. The Warriors were also up 3-1 in the NBA Finals before losing in seven games to Cleveland.
Durant said both his relationship with Iguodala and Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams played a role in his signing.
"Andre was huge," he said. "He said it will be the most fun will you will every have in your life ... He was just real and genuine ... Ron taught me so much about the game of basketball."
He also said it was a tough conversation telling former teammate Russell Westbrook that he was going to be leaving the Thunder.
"I talked with him," he said. "It was tough ... We were teammates for a long time. We have a lot of memories ... He respected the decision."
To make cap space for Durant, the Warriors were forced to trim their roster by not re-signing free agents Barnes and Festus Ezeli and trading Bogut – their starting center – to Dallas.