5 Greatest NBA Free Agency signings since 2010

#1 Kevin Durant signs with the Golden State Warriors (2016)

Golden State Warriors flaunts his two NBA Finals MVP accolades along with two NBA Championships

The Golden State Warriors had just made back to back appearances in the NBA Finals winning against Cleveland in 2015 and then losing to the Cavaliers in 2016 after a 3-1 final series lead was blown.

Clearly, Warriors management was wondering if they had enough to make a third appearance in the NBA Finals for 2017 after a 2016 season in which they won an NBA-best 73 regular-season games. Keep in mind, the Golden State Warriors had not been around an NBA title for 40 years until they broke through in 2015 with Curry, Iguodala, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson leading the way.

On July 7th, 2016 Warriors management made an enormous announcement that would once again make a seismic shift in the landscape that is the NBA. It was Kevin Durant - the 6’9 small forward with silky smooth skills equal to any of the great guards in the NBA and the length of the biggest centers in the game - who was signing a 2-year $54.3 million deal to leave OKC Thunder where he had spent 9 seasons.

Durant, who with OKC failed to knock off the LeBron James led Miami Heat back in 2012 while with the Thunder, was sure to make the Golden State Warriors a dynasty. His signing did just that. The Warriors currently have represented the Western Conference in the NBA Finals for 5 straight years and each of the three seasons that Durant was a member of the team. The Warriors also won back to back championships in 2017 and 2018 with Durant winning the NBA Finals MVP award both times.

The Warriors failed to beat the Toronto Raptors in 2019 perhaps due to a myriad of injuries including a calf strain to Durant that kept him out of the Finals until game 5 where he ruptured his Achilles heel tendon after 11 minutes of playing time. Even so, on one leg, the Raptors who were an aggressive swarming defensive juggernaut in 2019 could not contain Durant who scored 11 points in those 11 minutes. On June 30th, 2019 Durant opted out of his contract with the Warriors and has since signed a new deal to play with the Brooklyn Nets.