Here are the fantasy implications of free agent SF Kevin Durant agreeing to sign with the Golden State Warriors:
The addition of Durant should make last season's top offense in terms of both points per game (114.9) and offensive rating (112.5) even more unstoppable. When Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green share the floor together, there's no real weak link, as Durant's 38.6 3-point field goal percentage last season actually ranked as the worst of the bunch.
The Warriors' roster will look a lot different next season, as the likes of Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut (among others) will almost certainly have to be jettisoned in order to afford Durant, so expect that above-mentioned quartet to shoulder full workloads in what will undoubtedly be a top-heavy collection of players.
Fantasy-wise, while Durant's and Curry's numbers should still be out-of-this-world, their scoring outputs should take a hit with so many capable offensive players surrounding them. Curry averaged a career-best 30.1 points per game last season; expect him to slide back to around the 24 points he averaged over the two campaigns prior.
The same can be said for Durant, whose 28.2 points per game in 2015-16 may dip slightly, but he'll still comfortably average in the mid-to-high twenties. He averaged a career-best 8.2 rebounds last season, and if the Warriors elect to play Green at center more than ever, Durant should again shoulder more responsibility in cleaning the glass.
Any nagging injuries to Curry (or to any key player on the roster, really) will likely be treated with the utmost concern; expect to see Curry sit out when hurt instead of hobbling around the court in pursuit of a 74-win season. After playing at least 78 games in each of the last four years, the reigning MVP may see more frequent rest days now that Durant and Co. can pick up the slack.
While it's certainly possible that the Warriors have two players going back-to-back as the first two picks in 2016-17 fantasy drafts, Durant's former teammate and All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook could have a say in being picked in the top three, if not first overall.
In the playoffs, Westbrook's usage rate of 33.7 per cent led the NBA; his 31.3 per cent mark during the regular season ranked sixth among qualified leaders, and sat above Durant's mark of 30.5 per cent. It goes without saying that whomever the Thunder bring in to replace Durant won't actually replace Durant - Oklahoma City is firmly Westbrook's team now.
The 27-year-old played in 80 games and averaged 23.5 points, 10.4 assists and 7.8 rebounds, while recording 18 triple-doubles. Expect his scoring to take a big jump at the expense of his efficiency, but fantasy-wise, there's no better bet to pile up stats in nearly every category, save for James Harden.
