Not very often can a specific setting off the court be credited with playing a major role in changing the trajectory of NBA history.
During the 2016 offseason, free agent Kevin Durant met with numerous teams to contemplate whether or not to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He decided to rent out a house in the Hamptons and have his potential suitors come try to pitch him on why he should join their franchise.
The Golden State Warriors were one of those suitors, and would ultimately be the team that Durant would choose to sign with.
The meeting between the Warriors and Durant has taken on mythical status, as the Warriors won a championship last season and could be on the verge of another this season.
The players who congregated at the rented home became known as “The Hamptons Five.” Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala helped make the successful pitch to get the superstar to sign with the Warriors.
At the time, I remember specifically noting that those four Warriors players were presumably designated as the “untouchables” in the payroll maneuvers that would have to be initiated to clear up the cap space to sign Durant.
Curry, Thompson, and Green were the obvious ones, but Iguodala being included was the biggest eye-opener of what was to come.
Since it didn’t make sense to include a player in Durant’s pitch that wouldn’t actually be playing with Durant if Durant signed, this was a major indication that Iguodala wouldn’t be a cap casualty.
This left Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut as the logical departures, and that’s exactly what happened when Durant made his decision to join the Warriors official.
“The Hamptons Five” is not only a legendary accumulation of talent, but some of the most selfless superstars the league has ever witnessed.
The experiment would never have worked if individual sacrifices weren’t willing to be made for the team’s success. The championship last season was the culmination of that vision, and the Warriors have their sights set on another championship this year.
It all started at that Hamptons house, and now somebody has a chance to purchase the actual setting of one of the most influential meetings in NBA history.
The asking price is about $15 million. The mansion itself is 7,400 square feet and has five bedrooms. It is also located just a block away from the Atlantic Ocean. Along with that fantastic location, the house has a fitness room, a library, a theater, a spa, and a lap pool.
It will be really fascinating to see if the house is bought by a rich NBA mega-fan excited at owning not only a beautiful piece of property but a piece of basketball history.
Unexpectedly, there are numerous celebrities that live on the same road as this house, including comedian Jerry Seinfeld and publisher Jann Wenner.
If a person is extremely rich but not rich enough to buy a basketball team, they can instead buy this house that altered the direction of basketball.
It’s interesting that this property is being put on the market during a playoff run in which “The Hamptons Five” has been so dominant. Those players will try to continue that trend and go up 2-0 against the Houston Rockets in game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.