Durant’s Injury, Shaking up NBA Free Agency, and the One-And-Done Is Here To Stay

Anthony and Alex Talk Stuff is back this week to talk about some more NBA Finals! Game 5 is one of the best Finals games of this decade, Kevin Durant’s injury, the impact on NBA Free Agency and how successful the one and done model has been with Kawhi Leonard.

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Game 5 Excellence Is Mired In Tragedy

The Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors were firing on all cylinders to start Game 5 ( 1:50 ). Durant was back and doing Durant things, the spacing was back, the Splash Brothers were confident and everything was going in for the Warriors early. But the Raptors still were only down 6 by the end of the best played quarter of basketball in this NBA Finals. The thought was “Oh, it’s on!” until after 3 minutes into the second quarter, KD collapsed to the hardwood in pain. The replay showed, what we all feared, that the calf injury that had kept him out of the lineup for a month, was further exacerbated and Durant had torn his Achilles.

 

A gruesome injury that few players have had but that has changed the course of their entire career. We don’t know what the future holds for Kevin Durant now or on what team he’ll be cheering for next year. We only know what this injury has changed the course of the NBA and will be looked back upon as a landmark ‘What If’ a decade from now.

 

But alas, the game continued, with the Warriors struggling to hang on to the lead until Kawhi Leonard’s superhuman effort in the fourth quarter put the Raptors up 6 with around 3 minutes left to play. Kawhi’s twelve straight points looked to be a dagger in the heart of Dub Nation, drawing comparisons to his Airness himself. The champs showed their heart and their mental toughness by responding with 3 straight three-pointers from none other than Steph Curry and Klay Thompson to snatch a victory and the title away from Toronto. Now we are on to Game 6 and possibly Game 7 but even after that amazing game, the story comes back to KD and what happens next?

 

The Injury That Changed The Entire NBA In A Second

So KD is hurt…..now what?? Durant’s journey these last 3 years as a member of the Warriors has been a really crazy rollercoaster when you think about it ( 11:55 ). The highs of winning titles and Finals MVPs but the lack of social acceptance and basketball immortality has left a bad taste in his mouth and we were ready to move on and leave on top. The perfect movie ending of 3 titles in 3 years with 3 NBA Finals MVPs is no longer in play as Durant must make a decision to move to a new city, a new life as a highly paid cheerleader or stay at home with the world he knows. It will definitely be an interesting summer for free agents but this injury just threw the whole damn league for a loop.

 

Everything seemed preordained and things were rounding into shape as June 30th draws near but now the world is upside down. Now some parts will stay the same like Kyrie Irving going to the Brooklyn Nets, Kawhi on the move ( 24:00 ) and potentially even Kevin Durant going to the New York Knicks but what really changes is the Anthony Davis sweepstakes.

 

Paul George, Kawhi Leonard…...Anthony Davis Next?

The new, up and coming trend just may be the One-And-Done model. The idea to get a superstar in the final year of their contract and convince them to stay just might find its foothold in the league and Anthony Davis may be next ( 26:45 ). Now the most likely scenario is that the Lakers or Celtics find a way to trade for the young superstar but could a third, unsuspecting team get thrown into the mix? The race to get Anthony Davis this offseason, despite the Pelicans demands, is the hot topic of the league. The whole matter could be over by this weekend but who is in the running? Will the Lakers throw everything they have in, could the Celtics disregard Davis’ wishes or will a multiple team trade be the way to go?

 

With the success of Kawhi’s run in Toronto, teams can only hope to replicate their success with potential free agents in the future ( 32:54 ). Could this be the new hot trend in the NBA?

Come Listen About The Future of The League Before Tonight’s Game 6!

 

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Extra Stuff:

Durant Undergoes Surgery, Vows To Be Back

 

The Ringer’s Chris Ryan and Justin Verrier discuss the ripple effect of Kevin Durant’s injury

 

Check on Zach Lowe’s New Podcast on KD, Game 6, AD, and Kyrie