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Warriors fans are not going to like this but you can't hide from the latest information.
As Marc Stein of The New York Times writes:
The threat of the Knicks persuading Durant to leave one of the most dominant teams in league history has never felt more real to the Warriors themselves.
This is most likely a new development because in late October, Anthony Slater of The Athletic wrote:
The Warriors in zero way fear the Knicks in these sweepstakes. Durant may decide to go to New York in July. They know that. The buzz is legitimate. The connections are there. His business manager, Rich Kleiman, is a New York-based Knicks fan with dreams of working in their front office one day. Royal Ivey, perhaps Durant's best friend, is on David Fizdale's coaching staff.
But in all aspects of basketball success and organizational management, the areas in which the Warriors can control, they are superior.
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But unfortunately for the Warriors, Durant's decision may be completely out of their control. Golden State can offer him the most money but that may not be a top priority to the reigning two-time Finals MVP, who left about $15 million on the table the last two summers.
It's safe to assume the threat "has never felt more real" to the Warriors because of last week's Kristaps Porzingis deal that opened the necessary cap space for the Knicks to sign two max-level free agents in July.
Addtionally, an NBA executive told Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that he believes, "the Knicks have already been told Durant is coming."
The reality is that speculation is going to continue for the next five months and there are going to be some twists and turns. As the Warriors look to three-peat, hopefully you can enjoy the ride.
Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller
