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Just as he was in 2016, Kevin Durant is a prized free agent considering multiple teams, including the Golden State Warriors.
And, just as in 2016, the Warriors are ready to do some serious recruiting. It’s not quite the famous Hamptons Five meeting - where Klay Thompson made everyone laugh with hilariously bizarre moments, Draymond Green notoriously told Durant that the team would win without him, but win even more with him, and Steph Curry happily ceded lone superstar status - but Golden State isn’t letting Durant sign elsewhere without reminding him of how much they like him.
According to The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II, Curry will visit Durant tonight, ahead of Sunday’s start of free agency. Knowing Curry, the gathering will likely be less about recruiting, and more about reiterating what Durant means to Curry and the Warriors, and how happy the two-time MVP point guard is playing alongside KD.
Or, as Thompson eloquently penned:
But it could potentially be a big deal that Curry is going. Even though the Warriors have several All-Star-level championship players, Curry and Durant would be the pillars of the Warriors if Durant decides to stay. They would be the faces of the franchise and their relationship figures to be the most important.
Even in 2016, Durant said the key thing he wanted to know was whether Curry wanted him on the team.
Durant is currently in New York, rehabbing his torn Achilles, which he recently had surgery on. Curry will be swinging by on his way home from a gigantic Under Armour Asia tour that he partook in with fellow NBA players Joel Embiid, Mo Bamba, and Dennis Smith Jr.
But it’s not just Curry swinging by to see Durant. Klay Thompson will reportedly FaceTime Durant while Curry is there.
Update: Klay Thompson will be there, too, via FaceTime #HalfTheHamptons https://t.co/WYbcdgUzjK
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) June 29, 2019
And, according to the aforementioned report, Draymond Green has already spent time in New York with KD.
All things considered, the Warriors core is making it clear that they value Durant. And that’s all they can do.
Free agency begins at 3:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, and Durant and his team are expected to meet with four teams: The Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Knicks.
Story filed to ESPN: Golden State’s Kevin Durant is planning to engage four teams in discussions upon the opening of NBA free agency on Sunday – the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Warriors, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 29, 2019
And now we play the waiting game.