Here’s why Kevin Durant chose the Warriors

Good morning. None of this seems terribly important, but let’s basketball nonetheless.

HELLO KD: Kevin Durant was introduced by the Warriors on Thursday. He cited the team’s obvious chemistry as a big factor in joining Golden State. There was a virtual reality component to the pitch.

RATINGS BOON: Richard Deitsch on why the Warriors should be on national TV as much as possible.

WHAT’S UP IN THE ATL? Zach Lowe breaks down the Hawks’ curious offseason, from why Paul Millsap was on the block to what the plan is going forward.

A PRICEY PURCHASE: The Nets came through with a four-year, $75 million offer sheet for Allen Crabbe. The Blazers aren’t expected to match at that high price point. Speaking of Portland, Festus Ezeli got a relatively modest deal there. That and more in our tracker.

REGRESSION: The league told teams on Thursday that the 2017-18 salary cap is currently forecast to be just $102 million, down from a previous estimate of $108 million. That would mark an 8 percent increase over this year instead of a 15 percent increase.

FACTS ONLY: Ben Simmons is already one of the greatest Sixers ever based on these early Summer League highlights.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE: Kevin Ding on Pat Riley, Dwyane Wade and loyalty in Miami. I posited that Riley knew exactly what he was doing all along and wanted to see Wade leave. Meanwhile, Wade is a straight-up awful fit on paper in Chicago.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE II: Dario Saric might not join the Sixers after all next season, per Tom Moore. It’s going to be really interesting to see how much the Sixers improve. Not getting Saric hurts.

THAT’S JUST SMART: Wade reveals that LeBron is so cheap he only uses data on his phone when WiFi is available. You might say, “Hey, didn’t LeBron just sign a $1 billion deal with Nike?” A billion dollars isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A trillion dollars.

MOVING SOUTH: Pau Gasol reflects on his time in Chicago.

GET IN THE GAME: Mary Pilon in Backchannel discusses how virtual reality will and will not change sports. Via REDEF.

Take care of yourself and each other.

Be sure to subscribe to SB Nation’s YouTube channel for highlight videos, features, analysis and more