"I would say the hope is frankly that he can do a lot better financially than what we could offer him. Kerr left open the possibility that Cousins could return if he doesn't get a bigger offer elsewhere. The Warriors big man came back from his own Achilles injury in January after missing almost a year and came back for the Finals after suffering a torn quad on April 15. Part of that process regarding moving forward is deciding what will happen with center DeMarcus Cousins. And you just have to keep moving forward." But you talk about two career-altering injuries to two of your best players in back-to-back Finals games - unheard of it'll probably never happen again. "And if you had asked me four days ago, five days ago, I would've said, 'No, not really.' Because everything that happened up until five days ago was just basketball and people and bumps in the road. In the midst of discussing all the ups and downs the Warriors have endured over the past few weeks, Kerr acknowledged that the injuries suffered by Durant and Thompson exceeded his worst fears as a coach. And ultimately he's going to make his own decision." "So hopefully he's back, and we will all give him any advice, any counsel, he needs.
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So hopefully we get him back and keep this thing going with the understanding that he's a free agent and we want what's best for him and he's free to make any choice he wants. We think this is a great situation for him and vice versa. "So I have no idea what Kevin's going to do. "The injury throws everything for a loop," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Durant's situation. If Thompson and Durant want to stay with the Warriors long term, the money will be there for them to do so, even in the wake of both players suffering serious injuries. It is against league policy for the Warriors to publicly say they would offer both Thompson and Durant maximum extensions, but that has been the belief internally - and throughout the league - all along. Durant's status remains more of a mystery. The widespread belief within the Warriors organization all year has been that Thompson would re-sign this summer. Thompson will be an unrestricted free agent. And so you just - try to keep those guys within these walls the best you can."ĭurant has a player option for next season that he has been expected to opt out of, at least before his injury. It's hard to find high-quality people, and both of them are that. "All I'll say is that those guys are highly important to us," Myers said, "and deserving of being rewarded in the right manner. Myers said the injuries would not affect Golden State's pursuit of either player.
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The Warriors lost that game and the series to the Toronto Raptors. The topic of Thompson's and Durant's pending free agency has hovered over everything the Warriors have done this season, but it took on even more significance this week after Durant suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the Finals and Thompson suffered a torn left ACL in Game 6.