Kevin Durant Welcomes Andrew Bogut Signing, Warriors Coach Confirms Talks

Andrew Bogut’s one-year hiatus from the National Basketball Association (NBA) is close to coming to an end with the veteran Australian center expected to sign a short term contract in the coming days. There have been a number of teams linked to Bogut including the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers.

The 34-year-old signed a two-year deal with the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) and was adamant at the time that he will finish career in his homeland. But his impressive performances in his first campaign have opened the doors to the NBA again.

And according to ESPN, the Warriors are expected to sign Bogut for the final few games of the regular season and the playoffs. Steve Kerr confirmed that they have been in talks with the veteran center but nothing is official just yet.

"I'm not going to go into kind of our needs and all that," Kerr said after Monday's practice, as quoted on ESPN. "Just cut right to the chase and tell you that we have been talking to Bogut and his representatives and nothing is official. And there are things that have to happen and we can't really comment on it until it's official. The other question [about how he fits] I'll answer at the appropriate time."

Bogut won the NBA championship with the Warriors in 2015 and was part of the team that lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 despite being 3-1 up after four games. And Kevin Durant, who is seeking his third straight NBA title, is certain that the Australian can help the team especially since he has already been part of the system previously.

"We trust whoever they bring in as long as he does his job," Durant said. "I'm sure [Bogut's] going to add a little bit of knowledge and wisdom because he's been a part of the system before. We're looking forward to having him on the team."

Bogut was crowned the NBL’s Most Valuable Player after averaging 11.6 points per game, while he also recorded 329 rebounds, 98 assists, and 77 blocked shots. He was also named the Best Defensive Player and made the All-NBL First Team.

Kings coach Andrew Gaze confirmed that Bogut has had offers from the NBA for a long time, but praised the Australian for sticking with his team until the end of the season before making his decision to return to the NBA.

“In the middle of the season, I sat down with him and he had a number of offers to join NBA teams. Our club has a philosophy that we're never going to stand in the way of players to go on to play in the NBA, but he was highly committed to the Sydney Kings and beyond that, just the sport here in Australia,” Gaze said, as quoted by ESPN.