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00:00I'm just gonna throw this out there. Do you still have any interest in Kevin Durant?
00:06Do I? Well, you're a Warrior fan, right? I mean, and all of you listening.
00:12The answer is yes. Does it feel like the page has been turned
00:16or are you still in some way interested in Kevin Durant? Because let's be real,
00:21for about three days, this had the whole city all turned up.
00:27And then he turned us down, and then we went through 48 hours of,
00:32we suck, everything's over, stupid organization, trade Steph Curry, and then they acquired Jimmy
00:39Butler, and the world was split for about three minutes, and then the Warriors started
00:44winning basketball games. And now everybody has, or have they not, turned the page?
00:51Uh, we have turned the page, and I'm gonna use an analogy that pertains to my two-and-a-half-year-old
00:58daughter, because when you do story time with a two- or two-and-a-half-year-old,
01:02you're going through the book, and if she decides that she wants to go back a page,
01:06we go back a page. There's a butterfly, there's a bird, that's a dog, that's a walrus, and it's
01:12like, we're trying to get through this. We turned the page. No, we didn't. She turned the page back.
01:17So yes, we've turned the page, but if we get to the offseason, and this doesn't go as far as we
01:23want, and this doesn't look like the Kaminga fit is what we wanted, and KD has a Phoenix season end
01:30the way it looks, which is, you're gonna be an 11 seed, or worse, and I can see that thing
01:36breaking apart even further, where Beal is like, ah man, I got a groin, and KD, I don't think KD
01:43will pull, and I have an elbow issue, but you can see that thing getting into shutdown mode.
01:48Well, they're trading him. Kevin Durant is done with the Suns at the end of the year.
01:51Right.
01:52They're trading him.
01:52Fine.
01:52So he's going somewhere.
01:53I believe you.
01:54I mean, Brian Windhorst said that straight on ESPN a few hours ago.
01:58Okay, so they're gonna trade him, and if you're the Warriors, do you want to be in on that?
02:03Absolutely, you do.
02:04Okay, but doesn't it actually have something to do with the way this season ends?
02:08It does, yeah.
02:08The only way I can answer my own question would be, well, maybe,
02:12maybe, but maybe not. If this goes well, then no.
02:16Well, how well?
02:18That's a good question.
02:19Like, for me, thank you.
02:21I would say that you would have to, you would have to obviously dance and advance
02:25in the playoffs a little bit, and feel like you are, at minimum,
02:31building towards something that you think could do it again.
02:35Like, in other words, what we still don't know is what Jonathan Kaminga brings to the table
02:40when this all gets going.
02:41So now, if you've got another young, dynamic player, and it fits, and it's all working,
02:46and you get to the second or the third round, and at least feel like, let's say you go to the
02:50second round, and you get to game six.
02:52Same thing that happened two seasons ago.
02:54Like, you didn't threaten to win a championship, but you danced and advanced.
02:59I would say you need to at least do that to feel like,
03:02okay, let's just keep doing what we're doing.
03:05Anything short of that, I'd be open to it, but if it gets to that point or beyond,
03:12I'm hard-pressed to find a way to then take all those assets and turn them into Kevin Durant,
03:18who is only a year younger than Steph Curry.
03:21He made a great point about himself on the Draymond Green podcast, which, a couple things.
03:29First of all, how many people are like, well, you know why Kevin didn't want to come
03:34to the Warriors?
03:34Because of Draymond Green.
03:35He changed everybody's mind, and he went on his podcast two weeks later.
03:39I mean, I clearly think that was purposeful.
03:41Yeah, but talking is different than playing 82 games with a guy.
03:44It is, but I don't think they hate each other.
03:47I don't think they hate each other.
03:48That's fair.
03:50But one of the things he said about why he didn't want to be traded was, I cost a lot.
03:58So if I come to your team, it blows the whole damn thing up.
04:03I thought it was amazing self-awareness, to be honest with you.
04:07Yes, and that leads me to the reality of the question, which is, all right, Phoenix wants
04:12to trade Kevin Durant.
04:14What team has the wherewithal and the salaries and the potential destination that he would
04:20actually go to that would make it work?
04:22Because I don't think that Kevin's just going to go to fill-in-the-blank team.
04:27Phoenix is going to say, all right, we're going to trade you to Washington, and that's
04:31going to be the way that goes.
04:32No, you're not trading me to Washington.
04:34No, he's going to have a say, and the early returns say that he's got eyes for Miami,
04:41which is odd, because if he had eyes for Miami, I'm curious why Miami and Phoenix couldn't
04:48have just done some sort of a Butler for Durant deal.
04:51Like, well, that seems like that was easy, but it didn't work out that way.
04:55I know Phoenix probably started out with designs on pairing Butler with Kevin Durant, and obviously
05:01because of Bradley Beals, no trade clause, that couldn't work.
05:04Anyway, check this out.
05:06First of all, here's Durant talking about not wanting to move mid-season.
05:11But as far as the Warriors, I didn't want to move, and then as a player like me, I cost
05:15a lot.
05:16Me going into your team is going to be a whole new area of your team when I get to your team,
05:21and that's a lot of work.
05:22I'm still of value, especially in my contract and just my production, that me just getting
05:27up and moving in the middle of the season, it's going to be a big blow to any team I'm
05:31going to.
05:32You know what I'm saying?
05:32So I get why y'all want to trade me, and y'all looking at it just from the simple fact that's
05:37just business.
05:38But from me looking at it, I'm just like, it just don't make sense for either side right
05:42now to go through that.
05:44You know what I'm saying?
05:44When we just play the season out, and if that's the decision you want to make in the offseason,
05:48then you figure it out.
05:50Oh.
05:51Wait, what?
05:52Oh.
05:54The offseason?
05:54Y'all got that right?
05:56Y'all figure it out?
05:57In the offseason.
05:58I didn't want to move.
05:59I cost a lot.
06:00If I come to you, it's a whole new era for your team.
06:03Yep.
06:04Not wrong.
06:05We know that better than anybody.
06:08But I just didn't want to move in the middle of the season.
06:11Now, if you want to trade me, then we can do it in the offseason, and we'll figure it out.
06:18Oh.
06:18That feels like a very, very relevant comment to the Golden State Warriors franchise.
06:26I mean, I don't know if I buy that as the only reason, but Kevin Durant is on the Draymond
06:34podcast essentially trying to remove the drama from all of our mouths.
06:38What are the answers we all came up with?
06:40Oh, he hates Draymond Green.
06:42Yep.
06:42Oh, he still got beef with Steve Kerr.
06:45They don't like the Lakob and the whole way the organization was run.
06:49He didn't like that the fans didn't love him as much as they love Steph Curry.
06:53These are the four things we heard.
06:56Kevin seems to be telling you, don't have to believe him, but Kevin seems to be telling
07:01all of us, that's none of those things.
07:03It literally was because it's February.
07:06Ask me again in July.
07:08Right.
07:08You might get a different answer.
07:09You might.
07:11Just looking at the machinations of what this would be, and I'll just give it to you simply
07:16in 888-957-9570 if you want to weigh in, Jimmy makes next year 54.1.
07:23Kevin makes next year 54.7.
07:26That's good.
07:27There's a match.
07:28Would you rather have Steph, Jimmy, and Draymond, what we've seen, or Steph, Draymond, and KD?
07:34Well, here's what's so fascinating about that.
07:37If it's a one-for-one, swap a Rooney.
07:40Crazy easy question to swap a Rooney.
07:43Yeah, shrug shoulders.
07:45Anyway, crazy easy question to answer if you'd asked me 18 days ago.
07:50Oh, for sure.
07:51There's not a one of you that would have said Jimmy Butler.
07:54Right.
07:54Today, I'd argue he'd win the poll.
07:57He'd win the poll.
07:58That's why I think it's fascinating.
08:00Seven basketball games, most of them against bad teams.
08:04Seven basketball games have likely changed most of our minds.
08:09And, by the way, if you wanted to go back in time and do the whole Butler deal versus
08:15Durant deal, I think a Warrior fan is smart to say, well, I'll take the Butler deal because
08:21it costs so much less than the Durant deal.
08:24But now, think about what Mike Dunleavy might have just done.
08:28Let's say the Warriors do whimper out in the first round.
08:33And let's say something at that point, remember two days ago, everyone's worried about, well,
08:38enjoy the honeymoon because Jimmy's going to get mad now.
08:41All right.
08:41Let's say at the end of this year, your first round whimper out and the Jimmy thing is not
08:47feeling as hunky-dory as it is now.
08:50And you just proposed the idea of a Jimmy and KD one-to-one swap.
08:56We know Phoenix loves Jimmy Butler.
08:58They just tried to get him.
09:00And he's younger than Kevin Durant, actually.
09:02So would Phoenix be interested?
09:04I don't know.
09:04Maybe.
09:05But if you were able to do that, that means that the Warriors just acquired Kevin Durant
09:11for Andrew Wiggins, Dennis Schroeder, Kyle Anderson, Lindy Waters, and one pick, as
09:17opposed to what they were about to do to get Kevin Durant, which is all those people, plus
09:22Kaminga, possibly Draymond, and possibly two more picks.
09:25Right.
09:26Right.
09:27Probably a steal of the century.
09:28Wiggins and a couple of picks.
09:29Whatever it would have been, it would have been richer.
09:32And I just wonder now, after seven games, which you're right, 18 days ago, you would
09:37have laughed me out of the building for even comparing the trios.
09:40But they're humming with Jimmy Butler.
09:42They're humming.
09:43Jimmy humming.
09:44They're six and one with Butler, Steph, and Draymond.
09:47And we know what Steph, Draymond, and KD were back six years ago.
09:52Would they still be that now?
09:54And Jimmy Butler is 50 weeks younger than Kevin Durant, almost a year to the day.
10:01And they make basically the same amount of money.
10:03And they're different players.
10:05Kevin is a much more high volume score.
10:08He's a better score.
10:09Jimmy's a better overall player in all the phases of the game.
10:14Kevin's a better player, but Jimmy does more for you.
10:17Distribution, defense, maybe the swag is better.
10:21So I wonder what fans would like.
10:24Now, ideally, you would be able to have them both.
10:27And there's a long, long shot of a way that you could do that.
10:31It would involve a Kaminga sign and trade.
10:33It would involve using some of all your picks, all them picks.
10:38But also more young players, not just Kaminga.
10:41It would be probably Moses and Pods.
10:44Yeah.
10:44And maybe Buddy because he's making nine.
10:46You need to stack some salary to get up there.
10:49So there is a way it could be Steph, Draymond, Jimmy, and KD.
10:53And then you'd have Quinton and Urie and Jackson and Pat.
10:57That's like an embarrassing roster, to be honest with you.
11:00Guys, would you mind if we played four on four tonight?
11:03I mean, can we run fours?
11:04But it's also an incredibly old and so injury concerning roster.
11:08Well, it would be a championship or bust roster.
11:11And I know you hate that, but you'd be trading at least two first round picks
11:16and your young core for one bite at the Apple, basically.
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11:37Do you still have any interest in Kevin Durant?
11:40Like when you hear him say that, does it sort of spark that thing back up again?
11:47Or is the experience of the last three weeks enough to where you're like,
11:50ah, man, I'm actually kind of glad that it went the way that it did.
11:56Let's move on.
11:58Mainly because this looks like it's working now.
12:00Like, sure, you can say Kevin Durant's a better player than Jimmy Butler.
12:04But in this moment, you might also have the opinion that
12:07based on this roster at this time, Jimmy fits it better.
12:11I don't even 100% know that I feel that way yet through seven games,
12:15but it's possible.
12:16I'm open to that possibility just based on the defender that Jimmy is,
12:21based on maybe the role model that Jimmy is for Kaminga.
12:24And I don't mean that as like the person Jimmy is.
12:27We don't even really know Jimmy as the person yet.
12:29But the style of ball player that he is,
12:32is maybe a little bit more conducive to bringing Jonathan Kaminga along.
12:37I don't know.
12:38I still think that we got to kick the can down the road on that.
12:41But if you had asked it three weeks ago, it's a no-brainer.
12:45And now I sort of sit here and the idea of KD in the offseason,
12:49it's almost like, I don't know where my brain goes is,
12:53I'm so hopeful about what they're doing right now.
12:56I don't even want to think about more acquisitions in the offseason
13:00because if you're trying to acquire Kevin Durant in the offseason,
13:02it means this season didn't go very well.
13:05Agreed.
13:05If you win two series and you make it to the Western Conference Finals.
13:09Right.
13:10You feel like you're close enough to where you can add a player,
13:13a smaller piece, and you can get enough to get over the hump.
13:17If you're a first round flame out, you look at everything
13:20and you think about what maybe would be the fix.
13:23And you mentioned the Jimmy through seven games, you're six and one.
13:27Jimmy Butler seems to make everyone around him better.
13:31And by everyone, I mean pods and Quinton and all of the other ancillary pieces.
13:38It seems like they're playing better with Jimmy around.
13:41If you add Kevin Durant, he makes your team better.
13:45He doesn't make the other individuals better,
13:47but he makes your offense better because he can go out there and get you 30, 35 a night.
13:52I don't know if Kevin is the kind of player
13:55as much as Jimmy to make other people around you better.
13:58Yeah, I mean, look, I mean, the gravity would be huge.
14:00Yeah, they're so great.
14:01I tend to think like they do.
14:03They make other people better because they just their presence.
14:06It's like it opens everything up.
14:08You know what I mean?
14:09I don't look at Jimmy Butler and be like, boy, he's such an incredible passer.
14:12He's making everything better.
14:14He's making everyone better because they're a better basketball team.
14:16The floor is more open.
14:18They play looser because they have a lead.
14:20Like everything is and they don't turn it over.
14:22Yeah, it's not so stressful right now.
14:25Like you're the Warriors can be in a close game and they're like, no, we're good.
14:29We're fine.
14:30Like the Warriors right now carry themselves as if they're a team that
14:33knows they're going to be in the playoffs.
14:35That hasn't been the case for a year and a half.
14:38Yeah, quite frankly.
14:39Randy had a great comment on our show thread where he said last night was
14:44kind of refreshing for the first time.
14:46It was a blowout early and you never really felt like, oh boy, they cut it to 18.
14:52Dude, I think it was a blow when it's four to two.
14:55Like the game started and I'm like, I don't even know.
14:58And I got a buddy of mine who might be listening.
15:00He was texting me.
15:01He's like, dude, we should apply to be front office people with the Hornets.
15:07What on earth kind of an operation are they running?
15:12Like look at their last three or four games.
15:15They can't even get to the second half against anyone right now.
15:19They had lost three games.
15:20They've lost by a combined 131 points.
15:22That's an NBA record.
15:23That sounds like a lot right now in this moment.
15:26They are.
15:27That's a college team.
15:28They are the worst team in the NBA and it's not close.
15:30I was thinking like how they would do in the SEC.
15:33And I know you're not watching a lot of college hoop yet, but the SEC is
15:38stacked.
15:38They wouldn't go undefeated.
15:40Dude, you watch Alabama and Auburn.
15:43People do that.
15:44They would not go undefeated.
15:46Could they like be the best?
15:48Yes, they could.
15:49Every single player on the Hornets would be the best player on Alabama.
15:52They might be a tournament team.
15:55Stop it.
15:55Watch your college job and get back to me.
15:57I do because you bet on it.
15:59And it's on in here every night.
16:01Yeah, we get the Hoyas.
16:02How are we doing with Georgetown and UConn right now?
16:04We're getting points, but we're getting 14 and a half.
16:07We're all right.
16:08See, I look up at that screen right now.
16:10You want to know the first thought that goes through my head?
16:12UConn is playing Georgetown and nobody's ranked.
16:16That's a bunch of crap.
16:17I'm sorry.
16:17That's not the college basketball I know.
16:19UConn and Georgetown, both unranked.
16:22And I don't even know what conference they're in.
16:25What are they in?
16:26It's the Big East.
16:27The Big Europe.
16:27What have they moved?
16:28UConn's been a juggernaut, but Coach Hurley's having a down year.
16:32I know he is.
16:32And he's yelling at refs about it.
16:33He's still talking.
16:34I know.
16:35I know.
16:35He's a beauty.
16:37Ian on the 80.
16:39What's up, Ian on 80?
16:40How you doing, man?
16:41Thanks for calling.
16:42Hey, pretty good.
16:44This bug caught ahold of me today, but I like this question, though.
16:49First thing I want to tell Div, man, college teams can't beat pro teams, man.
16:54I wish you guys stopped doing that.
16:56But I'm not going to really give you a chance to answer that, even though you run the show.
17:01Because I called to talk about Jimmy.
17:04I feel like the ship has sailed with Kevin Durant.
17:09And Jimmy is strong like a bull.
17:13And he's great, man.
17:14He's a great playoff player.
17:16And great player anyways.
17:18He's fundamentally sound.
17:20And he's never been hurt.
17:22And he's bought in.
17:25You know, I remember, man.
17:26And, you know, no one ever wants to talk about it.
17:28But those last two games against Houston, man, when the Warriors almost lost, man,
17:35Kevin was taking, like, I don't know, 30 or 40 shots.
17:39He was shooting 20%.
17:41And couldn't stop shooting.
17:42And even in game seven, his man, CJ Tucker, had 11 offensive rebounds at the halftime.
17:50Now, I ain't saying Kevin Durant is, like, you know, sorry or nothing like that.
17:56But, you know, status quo changes.
17:59And we're talking about a guy who's been either at the finals or a hair's breadth
18:04at the finals within the last five years.
18:08And so, yeah, I wouldn't do it.
18:11That's not it.
18:12Ian, thanks, man.
18:13Appreciate it.
18:14Yeah.
18:15I feel some of what you're saying.
18:16Here's one thing that I...
18:17Yeah, he averaged 35 a night in that series, if we want to look back at it.
18:21I don't want to spend, like, this is just me.
18:23Just real quick.
18:24I don't want to spend any time saying I don't want Kevin because now he sucks.
18:29Like, Kevin is still awesome.
18:31Kevin was awesome.
18:33Kevin is awesome.
18:34And Kevin will always be awesome.
18:36To me, it's just more of a circumstantial conversation.
18:39And it does come down to what the Warriors do.
18:43Make the playoffs and do something in the playoffs.
18:46And then I think the fan base should think, keep doing what you're doing.
18:49But if you don't, yes, I'm reopening to Kevin Durant.
18:53I also think that it comes down to what Kaminga does.
18:56Because if Kaminga plays and let's say they win two series, but Kaminga is largely
19:03an afterthought.
19:04He's an eighth man.
19:05He never got fit and he never really fit in.
19:08Then it seems to me like he might be prime for a sign and trade in the offseason.
19:13Conversely, if he comes in and he balls out and you win a series, but you lose the next
19:18round and he's playing amazing.
19:20Maybe you're losing seven in the Western Conference semis.
19:23Maybe you think like, wow, Kaminga has arrived and now we've got a real core four.
19:28So I do think the Kaminga piece is a big part of it.
19:30I agree.
19:31And don't never forget how quickly the world can change.
19:35I mean, think about us with Jimmy Butler.
19:37Exactly.
19:38Exactly.
19:39Exactly.
19:39Now everybody's like, where's he going to win a championship?
19:42Everybody on this radio station was screaming 18 days ago.
19:46They're too old.
19:46Blow it up.
19:47Not everybody, but a lot of people, a lot of people.
19:49So hell, Luka Doncic was a maverick.
19:52And now people are talking about smoking and beer.
19:55Like things change really fast.
19:58So I have to at least stay open to Kevin Durant.
20:02But Kaminga, Butler and the Warriors result absolutely to me provide circumstances.
20:09And we'll need to know the answers to those questions.
20:11Let's go to Phoenix, actually, where Elena is.
20:14Elena, thank you for calling Willard and Dibs.
20:15What's up?
20:17Hi, how are you guys doing?
20:20Great, how are you?
20:21I'm doing well.
20:22Okay, so my thing is with KD is no matter how much Joe always like goes on the stage and
20:31says, I don't mind spending money and whatever the reality is, there's a reason why the lead
20:37kind of put in this, um, this, these salary caps there is because they did that before
20:44and formed a whole dynasty and made, you know, they're trying to prevent that.
20:48So if he like there, KD is way too expensive.
20:51So if he comes in, you're basically like gutting half of your roster, which gives you no bench,
20:59which makes you a very top heavy team, which when we're seeing like with the New York Knicks,
21:05even with the, with the team that he's in right now with the sons, you're seeing that like kind
21:09of show, yes, the first five come in and it's great and dandy, but then you put the bench in
21:15and you lose the lead.
21:16That's always how it happens.
21:18And I feel like top being top heavy never really works out really well.
21:23So I feel like for the team and the roster they have right now, KD wouldn't really work.
21:28Um, and with, with coming in, not fitting in and everybody being so worried about it.
21:33I don't know.
21:33I feel like I should, I would urge people to kind of go back a little bit in 2017, 2018,
21:39when, um, Jimmy was playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves when he was playing with the
21:43Chicago bulls, he actually took the Timberwolves in the first playoffs.
21:47And if you see that roster, he was like, what with Derrick Rose, uh, with Andrew Wiggins,
21:53Jeff Teague, Katz, um, and all these players are actually role players when you look at
21:58them right now.
21:59Right.
21:59They're horrible.
22:01None of them have actually had real good success.
22:04Even Ty's Jones, which is in sons right now.
22:06He's not really had any successes.
22:08He played with, um, the Timberwolves, but he made them look good because he played like
22:13a team.
22:14Elena, what's your, what's your thought then on coming to fitting back in?
22:18I think he, I think, I think we underestimated, I think he would fit really well.
22:23Not because coming does really good, but because of the IQ, he's going to be around.
22:27Okay.
22:28I like, that's a fair point.