Myers: Warriors couldn't have done anything differently to keep Durant
Reality is setting in after Kevin Durant's departure from the Golden State Warriors: The team's five-year run of NBA Finals appearances is likely over.
Dubs president Bob Myers said there's nothing the organization could have done differently that would have allowed it to retain the superstar.
"I don't think so. I mean, you do the best you can. I think all along - I mean, to me it was a blessing that he came, that he wanted to be a part of us," Myers said Monday, according to Mark Medina of The Mercury News.
"This is a guy that can move in whatever direction he wants because of his talent. He came and he delivered, in my opinion. He was everything we could've asked for," Myers told reporters. "He represented us on the court, he represented us off the court. I think he still has a great relationship with a lot of his teammates, our coaching staff, myself. Just wanted to try something new and that's OK. All you here probably worked for more than one company."
Though the Warriors may not have been able to convince Durant to stay, they weren't left empty-handed. With Durant determined to join the Brooklyn Nets, he agreed - reportedly reluctantly - to facilitate a sign-and-trade with the Warriors in order to land them guard D'Angelo Russell in return.
However, Russell's fit with Golden State is debatable, especially alongside another primary ball-handler in Stephen Curry. The potential compatibility issues have led some to believe the Warriors intend to trade Russell down the line for different assets, something the 23-year-old himself said earlier in July that he is mentally prepared for.
Myers, though, denies that eventually flipping Russell was the Warriors' main objective with the swap.
"I know it's been written and speculated and that's fine," he said. "That's what everybody's job is to do. We didn't sign him with the intention of just trading him. We haven't seen him play in our uniform yet and a lot of people have us already trading him. That's not how we're viewing it ... We won't even know till Klay (Thompson) comes back how that fits. We're just happy that we got a young player that has a lot of upside, in our opinion."