In order to sign Kevin Durant, the Warriors have to dump more salary. They did so Monday morning by trading Andrew Bogut.
UPDATE: The Warriors will receive a future second round pick in exchange for Bogut.
Dallas and Golden State have agreed to an Andrew Bogut trade, sources say
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 4, 2016
The trade to send Bogut into Dallas salary cap space, sources said, can't be officially completed until the league moratorium ends July 7
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 4, 2016
Bogut played four seasons (2012-16) with the Warriors and won a championship in 2015. He was originally part of the culture turnaround in Golden State, and despite his injury history, he really cashed in some great years for the Warriors.
Bogut’s departure leaves a huge void in the middle of Golden State’s defense. There are very few reliable centers left in free agency. GM Bob Myers will have to get crafty to find a suitable replacement.
Minutes after Durant announced he was joining the Warriors, Bogut took the Warriors out of own Twitter profile. The writing was on the wall for the Australian center, especially after a CSN report a week ago, detailing frustration from the organization.
Stein did report that Warriors wanted to find Bogut “a good new home.” Dallas probably won’t win much, but Rick Carlisle and Mark Cuban are a good coach and owner to play for.