OAKLAND, Calif. — Kevin Durant wanted to look MVP Stephen Curry in the eye, meet Klay Thompson face to face, and find out for himself whether they truly wanted him as a teammate.

The All-Star shooting tandem made it clear during a meeting last weekend that he would be a perfect fit with the Warriors.

“When I met these guys, I felt as comfortable as I’ve ever felt. It was organic, it was authentic, it was real,” Durant said. “It was feelings I couldn’t ignore.”

The Warriors formally announced the signing of the seven-time All-Star and four-time scoring champion on Thursday and introduced him with fanfare during a news conference at the team’s downtown Oakland practice facility, where screens read, “WELCOME KD TO DUB NATION.”

So, what’s next? Seventy-four wins and a title? Golden State’s record-setting season with the best wins total ever of 73 ended without back-to-back championships.

“I haven’t made the decision yet, but he might start,” NBA coach of the year Steve Kerr joked, sitting next to a smiling Durant. “We lost in the finals. We want to get better. We want to be better. You can’t do any better than adding KD to the current crew.”

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Kerr won’t change his team’s style with the addition of Durant, whom the coach will count on as a “brilliant passer” and someone who can cut and do it all.

In a move made necessary by their signing of Durant, the Warriors announced they had traded center Andrew Bogut to the Mavericks.

The Warriors also gave up a future second-round pick and will receive a conditional second-rounder. Dallas is expected to receive its pick in the 2019 draft.

Bogut’s $12 million salary for 2016 had to be moved to create salary cap space.

In four seasons with Golden State, Bogut averaged 6.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game.

DWYANE WADE awoke Thursday morning for the first time as a member of an NBA team other than the Miami Heat. It immediately hit home.

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“It’s still surreal and I’m still numb,” he said in a prearranged appearance as co-host alongside Kelly Ripa on Live with Kelly, the syndicated morning talk show.

Twelve hours earlier, Wade formalized the two-year, $47 million agreement that ended his 13-season tenure with the Heat and delivered him to his hometown Chicago Bulls.

It turned what was scheduled as a lighthearted morning romp into a moment of reflection.

“This decision that I had to make last night, I mean I’ve been in Miami for 13 years. I mean 13 incredible years,” he said. “And you get a week to decide, you know, what you’re going to do? And I didn’t get no sleep. I lost probably five or 10 pounds, you know, just not being able to eat.”

CELTICS: Boston scheduled a Friday morning news conference, at which it’s expected to announce the signing of Al Horford.

The team agreed to a deal with the former Atlanta Hawks big man on Saturday, hours after the start of free agency. The four-year deal is expected to pay him $113 million. Horford confirmed the deal on Twitter, changing his profile and pictures to note his Celtics affiliation. The team hasn’t commented.

Horford becomes the highest paid free agent ever signed by the NBA’s most-decorated franchise. But the Celtics’ plan to use him to attract an even bigger name fell through when Durant agreed to join Golden State, rejecting an overture from the Celtics and star recruiter Tom Brady.

The Celtics were set to guarantee the contracts of Jonas Jerebko and Amir Johnson ahead of Thursday night’s deadline, according to reports. Both signed two-year deals last summer, with the second year not guaranteed.


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