"A boost to the legacy of Steph Curry, not boost the legacy of Kevin Durant" - Jalen Rose on Kevin Durant joining Warriors affecting his legacy
Steph Curry winning his fourth championship has enhanced his legacy, while putting a lot of pressure on Kevin Durant. The legacy of the Brooklyn Nets superstar is being questioned following his trade demands before free agency.
With rumors linking Durant to a possible reunion with Curry and the Golden State Warriors, ESPN's Jalen Rose thinks it would have an impact on his legacy. Rose said on "Get Up" that Durant re-joining the Warriors would enhance Steph Curry's legacy, not Durant's.
"KD's gonna get a lot of slander," Rose said. "That's what's gonna happen and the one thing about the Golden State Warriors, it was great to see them win a championship before he arrived. It was awesome to see them win two when he got there, but things changed in his relationship when they won without him."
He continued:
"If he goes back to the Golden State Warriors, everybody's gonna look at that as a boost to the legacy of Steph Curry, not boost the legacy of Kevin Durant."
The Warriors were one of the teams linked to Durant after he requested a trade out of the Brooklyn Nets.
Golden State has the perfect mix of All-Star players, young assets and picks to package and acquire Durant. However, Warriors owner Joe Lacob hinted about his interest in acquiring Durant in an interview with Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.
"I'm not gonna comment specifically on any player," Lacob said. "You know what this answer is going to be, which is we will always look at any opportunities to make ourselves better. The question you have to ask is, better near term, better intermediate term or better long term?"
He added:
"Some options to building the team, if we were to pivot in some way, some partial way, might give us an even higher upside near term, but might decrease the long term. So these are the things that Bob (Myers) and the group, we all have to look at and determine what’s the right path."
Will Nets find trade haul for Kevin Durant?
Kevin Durant is still with the Brooklyn Nets three weeks after requesting a trade. The Nets are demanding a lot for their superstar forward, which means teams are reluctant in making deals. The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat were Durant's preferred destination, while the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors were linked.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors were interested in Durant, but the Nets wanted Scottie Barnes. Wojnarowski noted that Toronto loves the reigning Rookie of the Year, so a Durant trade will likely not happen.
"Toronto doesn't want to part with Scottie Barnes," Wojnarowski said. "That's their stance. Brooklyn, right now, wouldn't consider a deal without Scottie Barnes."
Meanwhile, NBA insider Marc Stein wrote in a Substack piece that there's a new factor that could hinder interested teams in going all out for Durant. Stein noted that teams are more worried about keeping Durant happy for the rest of his deal than consider his age and injury history.