Championship windows don’t close all at once. They shrink with every missed opportunity. With that dilemma, Stephen Curry enters another season searching for one more title. With several high-profile pursuits ending in disappointment, one insider believes the franchise should revisit the partnership that once made it unstoppable: Kevin Durant.

“Let’s just bring Durant back to Golden State,” Chris Mannix floated a provocative idea while discussing the Warriors’ next move on a Sports Illustrated podcast.

Mannix proposed this reunion idea centered around Jimmy Butler and a future draft pick if the Houston Rockets decide to trade, but he also acknowledged that KD has publicly expressed his disinterest in returning to the Bay Area. Still, Mannix believed that basketball fit would outweigh those concerns.

“Kevin Durant is that guy. Kevin Durant has proven that he can win opposite Steph Curry. There’s a relationship there,” Mannix said. “They’re not the same guys they were in 2017, I get that. But if you’re looking to create some opportunity here, create a window, I think getting Kevin Durant back would be the way to do it.”

The argument stems from where the Warriors currently stand. 

The Dubs entered the offseason hoping to maximize Stephen Curry’s championship window, but several talents slipped away. The pursuit of LeBron James ultimately ended when he chose the Sixers. Meanwhile, with Jimmy Butler recovering from an ACL injury, the upcoming season remains uncertain. As a result, the Warriors remain in search of another dependable star.

Kevin Durant naturally enters that conversation because the blueprint already exists. Alongside Stephen Curry, he helped the Warriors reach three consecutive NBA Finals and win back-to-back trophies in 2017 and 2018. Only a few NBA superstar pairings have immediately meshed seamlessly. However, the obstacles are just as real.

Durant doesn’t really want to return to San Francisco. He had a turbulent finish to ‌his Warriors stint in 2019, along with a season-ending injury. Revisiting that chapter might require a lot of untying from both parties. That’s exactly why the conversation was pushed into a different level. And that’s where it reflects the closing years of Kobe Bryant’s Lakers career.

The concern wasn’t about the players themselves, but about an organization failing to surround a generational superstar with a roster capable of competing while he remains elite. Bryant spent his final seasons carrying the weight of impossible expectations as the Lakers struggled to return to contention.

At 38, Stephen Curry isn’t in that position today, but the Warriors know the clock is ticking. Even after another outstanding season, the two-time MVP can’t be expected to carry a championship hope without ‌meaningful help. That’s what makes Mannix’s Durant proposal resonate.

At a time when a report suggests that Stephen Curry has grown wary of the front office, the Dubs really need to pull up their socks. 

The Warriors don’t simply need an elite addition. They need a roster capable of giving Curry one legitimate shot at the title. Otherwise, the Kobe Bryant comparison Mannix raised could become more than just a cautionary parallel.