Warriors: Joe Lacob won’t go there with Kevin Durant trade

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob wouldn’t name Kevin Durant directly, but the team is trying to upgrade, potentially via trade.

With the mad rush of the opening days of NBA free agency behind us, the likes of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant remain on the trade block. Brooklyn wants nothing to do with Irving, who opted into the final year of his deal.

Because of that conclusion, Durant also wants out, and the Nets are happy to oblige and start over.

But could KD go back to his former free agent destination, the Golden State Warriors? Durant won two NBA Titles in Oakland, and won two Finals MVPs as well. The Dubs haven’t discounted the possibility, but also are doing any potential shopping discretely.

Warriors a potential fit for Kevin Durant?

“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 [general manager] Bob [Myers] and the group all have to look at and determine what’s the right path,” Lacob said, via The Athletic.

Lacob couldn’t mention Durant directly without violating league tampering rules. He was prompted respectfully by The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, but Lacob wouldn’t bite, except in saying that they are looking at ways to upgrade the team.

The Dubs do have an ideal roster to make room for Durant, in that they could form a great trade package of young talent and at least one All-Star in Andrew Wiggins, plus draft picks.

But as Lacob hints at, doing so would mortgage Golden State’s long-term future for a short-term upgrade. Durant is 33 years old. He only has so many years left in his prime, and he’s coming off injury.

It’s a lot to think about for the Warriors front office, to say the least.