OAKLAND – Here in the age of social media, when speculation often gets the status of pre-fact, Steve Kerr took a moment Saturday to inject logic into the discussion regarding Kevin Durant and the Warriors.
His assessment, in essence, is why would the Warriors tamper with what they have.
“I don’t know why anybody would talk about anything aside from the fact that we’re 45-4,” Kerr said prior to Warriors-Thunder tipoff at Oracle Arena. “We’ve got a hell of a team. Why would anybody talk about some different team, and future stuff and other players?
“Let’s focus on our team,” he added. “We’re pretty good.”
The Warriors are defending champions and one of only two teams in NBA history to win 45 of its first 49 games. They’re 22-0 at home. They’re sending three players to the All-Star Game next week, with Stephen Curry going as a starter and Draymond Green and Klay Thompson included as reserves.
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Yet the Durant speculation continues to simmer in the wake of a Yahoo! Sports report that the Thunder star would be interested in the Warriors. Durant will be an unrestricted free agent in July and there will be a line of teams interested in his services.
The Warriors are among those who’d like to enter the sweepstakes, largely because the limitless ambition of a front office with a history of expressing interest in big-name talent. The Warriors under the ownership of Joe Lacob and Peter Guber signed DeAndre Jordan to an offer sheet (December 2011), chased Dwight Howard (July 2013) and were at least curious about adding Kevin Love (July 2014).
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In none of those instances, however, were the Warriors defending a championship or sitting on the best record in the league.
As for whether the Durant speculation might alter the temperature of the locker room, Kerr exhibited not the slightest concern.
“I’ve never said anything about it,” he said.
That, however, does not mean the subject won’t require addressing at some point in the future.
