Currently in the midst of a one-sided NBA Finals, the comparisons between Warriors star Kevin Durant and LeBron James will only continue to ramp up. While James is undoubtedly the best player on earth, Durant plays for the most talented and well-rounded team in Golden State, making for a finals series that was supposed to be loaded with intrigue.
Instead, the Warriors have dominated in almost all facets, jumping out to a convincing 2-0 series lead with two home wins. It’s not that Cleveland is playing such a poor brand of basketball, instead, it just seems the Warriors are too talented, rostering potentially four of the best 20 players in the league.
After Kevin Durant decided to bolt Oklahoma City for the historic 73-9 Warriors, he got plenty of backlash for teaming up with other superstars, specifically since they were the same ones that ended his season.
In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Durant says LeBron joining the Miami Heat paved the way for him to team up with Stephen Curry and company in Golden State and how joining forces with other superstars will eventually become the norm as time passes:
Though Durant says he did not consider James’ precedent, he readily admits, “He paved the way.”
“As time goes on, and the changes start to become normal, people will start looking at it as normal,” Durant says. “I hope and pray that they make a decision that’s best for them, and nobody else.”
Former NBA General Manager Billy King also acknowledged how James was the true pioneer in forming superteams and how it is becoming more acceptable as time passes:
“Once LeBron made that decision, it took a lot of the brunt,” says Billy King, the former general manager of the Nets and 76ers. “You sort of almost expect guys now to maybe leave and do what’s best for them.”
While the decisions by LeBron James and Kevin Durant can be comparable, it’s safe to say the latter’s took it a step further. Now with the Warriors and Cavs this superiorly talented to their competition, contending teams will look to stockpile superstar caliber players just to compete.
In fact, this coming summer, some big names could be on the move such as Paul George or Gordon Hayward and both have been linked to the Boston Celtics, a team currently on the fringe.
Out West, rumors of Chris Paul to San Antonio have only continued to intensify. Adding Paul to the Gregg Popovich system along with one of the other top tier talents in Kawhi Leonard could form another Western Conference super team that could at least make the Warriors sweat.
With so many stars looking to play together to compete at the highest level, look for the trend KD and LeBron spearheaded to only increase in popularity in coming offseasons and beyond.
