There’s no replacing Kevin Durant. Outside of landing LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard, there isn’t a small forward that can really do what he does. Even then, there are things Durant can do that those guys can’t.
So when the Golden State Warriors’ big offseason acquisition went down with a knee injury, it left a huge hole on the team. The starting lineup still featured two All-Stars in Draymond Green and Klay Thompson and an MVP in Stephen Curry, but the team still needs some kind of production for the small forward spot. So questions about who would take that spot arose.