The recruitment of Kevin Durant by the Golden State Warriors was an organization-wide process, but one unlikely name perhaps helped immeasurably: Steve Nash.
Nash serves as a player development consultant for the Warriors, a part-time role that sees him fly to Oakland a few days a month to do some coaching. However, Nash’s biggest contribution to the Warriors may prove to be how he helped talk Durant into moving to Golden State.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins, Durant came away from his meeting with Golden State intrigued, but afraid that he would struggle to fit in with the already tight Golden State dynamic. It was a phone call from Nash that helped allay those concerns.
“Steve knows us — our culture and our guys — so well,” Warriors assistant Bruce Fraser said. “He doesn’t sell anybody on anything. He’s just a great sounding board.”
One Warriors source went even further: “Without Steve Nash, I’m not sure if we get Kevin Durant.”
Nash wasn’t the only one in Durant’s ear, of course. Jerry West was a significant factor as well, and Durant spoke of the camaraderie between the Warriors players in helping him make his decision. Still, Nash sounds like he played a significant role in bringing Durant into the fold.
