Motivation of Durant to Warriors Report Should Be Questioned

If you picture the different aspects of life in the NBA – players, agents, media, front offices and coaches – as intersecting circles, there is one that seems to connect with the others with more accuracy and just a shade quicker than the rest. Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski seems continuously in the loop, reporting trades before they’re made public by teams, announcing firings minutes – a relative eternity – before his peers. It’s become a trade joke that the NBA Draft, a giant, sprawling event that generates money for ESPN and its advertisers, has become non-essential because Wojnarowski has tweeted a team’s selections long before commissioner Adam Silver stands at the podium.

Put simply, “Woj” is undoubtedly on the pulse of life behind the scenes and he’s become both a legend and trusted resource.

But in his recent report regarding the Golden State Warriors as “significant frontrunners” to lure Kevin Durant away from the Oklahoma City Thunder, there might be more at play than the typical #WojBomb being dropped on an unsuspecting front office.

The Thunder have notoriously nurtured a cautious approach to interacting with the media, one that extends along every link of the team’s chain of command. It has coiled around the players as well, who have, in recent months, seemed occasionally antagonistic to reporters. The approach is a simple one – everything stays in-house. Information isn’t leaked, and if media members have to work a little harder to get a quote or break a story, the players and their families remain protected at all costs.

More thunder: Is a Deal Imminent Before the NBA Trade Deadline?

Some have labeled this as borderline paranoia or jaded skepticism but if it works – and the players certainly appreciate having a team insulate them from reports that can be erroneous and even harmful – then why bother changing it. It appears, at least on some level, that this might even extend to the well-connected Wojnarowski.

The idea of an unbiased media is as ludicrous as a player that doesn’t care about what is reported about them. Ultimately, both parties are humans that can be swayed emotionally. Wojnarowski has allegedly held an agenda against LeBron James for a while and past reports have cast James as a petulant control freak.

Being forced to jump through hoops by the Thunder (if that is, in fact, the case) might have soured the reporter considerably, all of which leads to a post that says nothing more that what has long been established; an interest from a NBA team in signing a free agent superstar.

If Wojnarowski’s sources are legitimate (as they usually are), they merely state the obvious, that Durant is hell-bent on winning a championship and if the Thunder can’t provide one, he’ll consider a team that gives him his best chance to do so. But the curious timing of Wojnarowski’s “report” only adds to the reasons why it shouldn’t be taken seriously at all. The Thunder travel to Oakland to face the champion Warriors for the first time this season on Feb. 6.

There’s usually an element of self-promotion that is required for any legend to grow and, in this regard, Wojnarowski is no different. With a well-hyped battle between the two teams looming just days away, a story linking them to the biggest story of this upcoming summer is just smart business. Wojnarowski has recently built a new platform as an offshoot of Yahoo, The Vertical, which is a niche brand within their overall NBA coverage. He’s added credible reporters to the site and even launched a podcast for the Clippers’ J.J. Redick, a unique perspective of life in the NBA.

Connecting two title contenders before their first of several battles this season is nothing more than free advertising for him and his new brand.

Durant may very well join the Warriors this summer or he might, as Wojnarowski alleges, be on the Clippers’ immediate radar as well. But with an expanded salary cap and the possibility, however infinitesimal, of luring a generational player like Durant away from Oklahoma City, there will be no shortage of suitors.

Wojnarowski’s bombs usually burn a team’s privacy with great frequency. But, in the case of this latest report linking Durant and the Warriors, it’s the rare case of speculating on a lot of smoke with not even the faintest trace of a fire.

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder