National Basketball Association

How Steve Nash helped convince Kevin Durant to join the Warriors

Published Jul. 8, 2016 2:30 p.m. ET

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Andrew Lynch

The Golden State Warriors had a lot to offer Kevin Durant. There's the possibility of turning these Warriors into a dynasty. There's the chemistry between the team's stars. And there's the wisdom of a two-time MVP point guard not named Stephen Curry.

Steve Nash has been working for the Warriors for almost a year now as a consultant, although his effect on the team wasn't really clear. He'd reportedly been a confidant for Curry this season, and coach Steve Kerr brought Nash into practice several times during Golden State's pursuit of 73 wins. Other than that, Nash's job with the team was kind of an unknown.

But when it came time for the Warriors to try to convince KD to leave the Thunder, Nash was reportedly one of the big pieces of the puzzle.

Via SI.com:

Yep: Nash was the mole! Well, kind of. At the very least, he helped set up the NBA's most important game of "Telepohone." Nash was there to allay any concerns KD might have, and if those worries were something Golden State needed to address, Nash was able to run them up the flagpole and make sure they were considered. Having such a network to relay any potential problems Durant might have with joining the Warriors was undoubtedly invaluable. The only meaningful variable in these situations is what a player is really thinking. A team delivers its best pitch, then waits with bated breath as a free agent holds a franchise's fate in their hands. It's an excruciating wait.

That's doubly true when you're asking a player to leave the only team he's known for nine seasons -- and the city he'd claimed as his own. At any moment, Durant could have decided to make good on the promises he's made to OKC over the years. With Nash (and Fraser), however, Golden State was able to get a solid read on KD's state of mind and adjust its pitch accordingly. They had a power over the situation that perhaps no other team did, including Oklahoma City. Combine that with Durant's inability to get a read on Russell Westbrook's plans for the future, and the choice must have become blindingly clear for KD. As one Golden State executive told SI, "Without Steve Nash, I'm not sure we get Kevin Durant."

You do have to wonder how much Nash talked to Durant about his own time on the court. Despite his back-to-back MVPs, the former Lakers, Suns and Mavs point guard never reached the Finals in his 18-year career. He came achingly close on two separate occasions, only for a suspension and an offensive rebound to cut short any chance of Nash playing for a title.

KD, of course, has been to a Finals already. After last season, however, he knows how a bounce of the ball here or there can affect a playoff series. Entering his 10th year, Durant's no longer willing to let a roll of the dice affect how we'll look at his career when it's all said and done. He wants championships. And a man who never got a ring helped pave the way for the NBA's newest superteam.

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