The victory parade and Dub lovefest was barely over when the parade of players leaving town began. Some of the exits were understandable. Tuscano-Anderson was unlikely to get much playing time with Golden State, but he might elsewhere. Otto Porter, Jr. has a limited time to get his payday--he seemed like a rental, though he became a valued teammate. But Gary Payton II really hurt, as did the way it happened. Golden State wouldn't match Portland's higher offer, which wasn't really much higher. Given everything else, it was nickels and dimes. Payton II was a valued teammate, beloved by fans and very motivated to be a Dub forever. His absence may hurt where it really hurts: on defense...At least the Warriors made sure to keep Kevon Looney.
But the big bad move the Warriors haven't yet made is to empty the future for Kevin Durant. Since Durant announced he wanted to be traded, there apparently have been feelers and contacts, at least among the players. The story so far is that the Warrior main cast would welcome him back. I wonder. What seems clearer is that the fans may not, especially if it means losing players they are attached to. Sure, it's all a business and teams change every year. But why would the Dubs trade away their future for what could be a few years of Durant before he gets restless again? I would have scoffed at the idea that management would go for this. At least before they let Payton II get away. For me, I've seen this show before. My enthusiasm for following the Warriors would definitely lessen.
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