National Basketball Association

Should Warriors even want Kevin Durant back in Golden State?

Updated Jul. 11, 2022 6:17 p.m. ET

Kevin Durant's future remains cloudy. Will he stay with Brooklyn? Will he be traded? Could he potentially return to Golden State?

Chatter around a possible KD-Warriors reunion has been prominent in the wake of Durant's trade request, but with the Warriors having just won a championship, would they do anything to jeopardize the chemistry they've built?

Colin Cowherd isn't sure so sure, and he based his reticence in part due to time he spent with a friend, Eric, who is a big Warriors fan.

Would Warriors fans even want Kevin Durant back?

While Golden State has been listed as an option for Kevin Durant, Colin Cowherd's not so sure Warriors fans want the trade. Colin explains why KD returning may be the last thing Golden State wants.

"If you hang out with Eric, you're going to talk about Warriors a lot," Cowherd said. "You know what we didn't talk about all weekend? Kevin Durant. We talked about Moses Moody, James Wiseman, Steph Curry, and Draymond Green. I got home, I thought about it and realized; we never once talked about Kevin Durant."

There could be some reasons for that.

First and foremost, the Warriors just won the NBA title, doing so with the same core of Curry, Green and Klay Thompson that forged a run of success from 2015-19 that included three championships. The only difference is that this team also had a young core that contributed mightily to their success, a group that figures to only get better.

"This weekend, I watched a video of James Wiseman," Cowherd said. "Man, he's big, he runs the court, and he can shoot a little. I was thinking, if I told Eric this morning, KD for Wiseman, I don't think he'd like it."

Wiseman was the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft but has dealt with a knee injury that caused him to miss the 2021-22 season. In 39 games as a rookie, though, Wiseman showed an abundance of raw potential, averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game.

Wiseman showed promise in his Las Vegas NBA Summer League debut on Sunday, scoring 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting, two rebounds, and two assists in 19 minutes of play.

Cowherd added another point: "Something that matters in sports that we in the media do a really poor job of talking about; fans like to wrap their arms around teams. When Kevin Durant comes to your team, it's less of a team."

In addition to that, Cowherd pointed to recent comments from Steph Curry, in which the star said: "I think we're good where we're at."

Golden State has a group of guys poised to follow the current big three of Curry, Green, and Thompson. The headliners for Golden State's new era are Jordan Poole, Johnathan Kuminga, Moody, and Wiseman.

So, with that knowledge being pretty obvious, plus a fresh Larry O'Brien Championship trophy, many are asking, why add Durant?