"KD does not want to play again in Golden State because he is sick and tired of Steph’s stature" - Skip Bayless vehemently rules out a Kevin Durant-Dubs reunion
Eminent sports analyst Skip Bayless believes that the chances of Kevin Durant landing once again with the Golden State Warriors are next to none.
Durant's trade request has sent the NBA into a frenzy, with several teams scrambling to find a suitable trade package.
The Brooklyn Nets have set a steep price on the Slim Reaper, and it looks like the one team that can meet all their demands is Golden State. There has been much speculation regarding KD's potential reunion with the Dubs, with several reports suggesting multiple possibilities.
However, Bayless believes it is almost impossible for Durant to end up in the Bay Area. There was a recent report that suggested Steph Curry and the leaders of the locker room are not against a reunion. On "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," Bayless said:
"You know and I know, Kevin Durant is not going to crawl back to Golden State, because he did not put Golden State on his wish list. You're trying to raise the specter of a trade because you say, 'Well, the best package would be the young players in Golden State straight up for Kevin.'
"The problem with it is Kevin Durant does not want to play again in Golden State, because he is sick and tired of Steph's stature. He's just sick and tired of it, because he cannot overcome that stature."
This will not happen. You know and I know there is no way KD is going to crawl back to Golden State. More @Undisputed, now on FS1 twitter.com/undisputed/sta…
Despite several clarifications from Durant, many reports suggest that he left Golden State in 2019 because he could never live up to Steph Curry's status. Curry was drafted by the team and Dubs fans have seen him blossom into a future Hall of Famer.
He won two MVPs, led the team to a 73-win season and won the franchise's first title in 40 years before Durant arrived. He routinely received "MVP" chants on the free-throw line whereas KD rarely did. It is no surprise that the Baby-faced Assassin is more beloved by Dub Nation than Durant could ever be.
Shannon Sharpe credits Steph Curry for building Kevin Durant's legacy
Is Kevin Durant's legacy built because of Steph Curry? Well, Shannon Sharpe believes so.
KD hasn't won anything without Curry, whereas the latter has two rings without him. Durant left a near-perfectly run organization in the Warriors to win on his own, but his experiment in Brooklyn ended up as a massive failure. He has won just one playoff series since his departure, whereas Curry just won his fourth title.
If Curry doesn't welcome Durant with open arms after just defeating him after trailing 3-1 in the 2016 Western Conference finals, does Durant win anything? Sharpe believes Curry deserves a heap of credit for building Durant's legacy, saying:
"Wardell Stephen Curry saved Kevin Durant's legacy. … What did he build in Brooklyn? Steph Curry went along and got him. ... A Finals MVP won. ... He got two titles. … Can Kevin Durant say he got a trophy (or) a team award without Steph Curry? Without Wardell Stephen Curry's name on it? He cannot say that."
“WARDELL STEPHEN CURRY SAVED KEVIN DURANT’S LEGACY”
“TELL ME WHAT LEGACY DOES HE HAVE IN BKN? WHAT’D HE BUILD IN BKN?”
“MAN COMES CRAWLING BACK, HE STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND WITHOUT RATIONS AND WITHOUT WATER”
SHANNON SHARPE GOTTA CHILL BRUH 😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/eRh2mD52qK
Sharpe also mentioned that Dwyane Wade once welcomed a superstar into his franchise and allowed him to be the alpha, LeBron James. He believes unselfish teammates like Curry and Wade deserve more credit than they receive, saying:
"Steph is very, very, very, very unselfish, and Steph Curry's about winning. He welcomed him once, at the height of his powers, after coming off of a back-to-back MVP, the last time unanimous. ... It's something to be said about Steph Curry and about D-Wade. About what they did and how they did it and they were willing to."
It is evident that Durant needed Curry more than Curry needed him. The Baby-Baced assassin won a ring before and after Durant. Meanwhile, KD hasn't done anything outside of Golden State.
Kevin Durant playoff win%:
54.9 — Without Steph Curry
78.7 — With Steph Curry https://t.co/GlKjKFm4uJ