Kevin Durant’s injury, suffered during Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals, has sent shockwaves throughout the NBA. The 30-year-old Golden State Warriors star most likely suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon, which would take him out of the remainder of the NBA Finals – and for all of next year. In the wake of KD’s injury, and with possibly two more games left to play in the Finals, Steph Curry, 30, is feeling the pressure “The Warriors are a team of brothers and are so close,” a source close to Steph tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “That is why they have been able to win so many championships in the last couple of years.”
“The devastation of Kevin’s injury, the emotional comeback in Game 5, and to think about whether [the Warriors will] win or lose the last game at the Oracle Arena is really tiring Steph out,” the source tells HollywoodLife, who adds that Curry is also “stressing out” a little bit. “It has been a long season. Steph wants to win the championship — obviously — but he also is looking for some time off. But, all this drama with Kevin’s injury and the stress to have an amazing game for the last time in their stadium is taking a large toll on him and the team. If they come back and win the championship this year after all this adversity, it will be the team and Steph’s most ultimate professional achievement.”
The Golden State Warriors will leave Oakland’s Oracle Arena for San Francisco’s Chase Center at the end of this season, per The New York Times. The Dubs have called Oakland home for 47 seasons and Game 6 of the 2019 Finals, happening on June 13, will be the last Warriors game in Oakland. Either the Warriors will force a Game 7, which will send the Finals back to Toronto for the finale, or they’ll lose. If that’s the case, Toronto will become the first non-US team to win the NBA Championship, Golden State will be denied their championship three-peat, and the Dubs’ near half-century in Oakland will end on a sour note.
On top of all that, Game 5 might have been the last time fans have seen Kevin Durant in a Warriors jersey. Kevin signed a two-year contract with the Warriors in 2018, with included a player option (aka the ability for a player to decided if they want to stay or become an unrestricted free agent) on the final year. There’s a chance that Kevin could decide to opt in and get paid $31.5 million while spending the 2019-20 season rehabbing his injured Achilles tendon. When the 2020 season ends, right around the time KD is expected to be 100%, he will be free to go to any team willing to pay. Thankfully, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that “opting in” would be KD’s “last resort.” Losing KD after all this? Now, that’s got to be putting some stress on the Warriors.