NBA free agency happened and the Golden State Warriors lost their star player Kevin Durant. The Brooklyn Nets managed to land in both Kyrie Irving and Durant, and the Knicks stands disappointed. While the Warriors couldn’t manage to re-sign Durant, it is not that bad as it sounds. Klay Thompson was retained in a max deal and D’Angelo Russel was traded in from the Nets.
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Kevin Durant was anyway injured and won’t be up for another year, and given his age might never play the same as again. So in a way, it is good that the Warriors didn’t waste any money on an injured old player. But the fact is Durant was an integral part in the Warriors final streak, and they need someone else to take the same role. Here are the possible players that could replace Durant in the Golden State Warriors team.
D’Angelo Russel
D’Angelo Russel is one such name which no one imagines to play for the Warriors, but a deal was made in the free agency. The fact that Warriors asked for Russel in exchange for Durant says a lot about the young player.
The T-Wolves wanna sign me for $27 million per
D’Angelo Russel https://t.co/MX72vJz345
— CleWest (@erjmanlasvegas) June 29, 2019
Russel is just 23 years old and had a lot to learn over the upcoming years. He has the potential to become a great NBA player and is up for the task of replacing Kevin Durant in the Warriors squad.
Klay Thompson
Once the news of Kevin Durant leaving the Dubs team was out, the Warriors top brass didn’t waste a single second and re-signed Klay Thompson.
Klay Thompson is celebrating his new @Warriors Max deal with a special edition sneaker drop this weekend, highlighting his pre-game locker ritual of reading the newspaper.
The @EastBayTimes x Anta KT4s will drop at @Oaklandish’s downtown Oakland store this Sunday, July 7th. pic.twitter.com/qkCpFwcBr2
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) July 2, 2019
The Warriors signed a max five year deal with Thompson for a massive $190 million contract amount. It gives a strong message that how much the Warriors believe in Thompson and sees him as an ideal replacement for Durant.
Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry was absent from the free agency 2019, as he already had the best deal with the Warriors. He was signed with the Warriors for five years for a deal north of $200 million in the year 2017.
One for the books. UA Asia Tour 2019! pic.twitter.com/SMt9gOVeIL
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) June 29, 2019
Although he has been always overshadowed by the strong presence of Kevin Durant, Curry is a talented player. He also had a great contribution in the Warriors winning NBA championship title for twice in a row. Many people already say that Curry is better than Durant, and we believe he can fill in the shoes of his former teammate.
DeMarcus Cousins
The last name in the list is none other than DeMarcus Cousins, which could be a shock to a lot of people. Cousins had been constantly getting injured, traded to different teams, a victim of bad deals. One can ask how can such a player replace the legendary Kevin Durant.
#NBA Celtics – DeMarcus Cousins is to sign with the Boston Celtics, pending successful meeting tomorrow.
— Robot Dave (@Robot_Davey) July 2, 2019
Well, the fact is DeMarcus Cousins have amazing stats for the number of games he played. He had won 4 All-Star titles and two Olympic gold medals. Cousins have the potential to be a great star for the Warriors who can replace Durant, once he is recovered.
