[Saba Sports News] Shohei Ohtani recently announced his decision to join the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency, securing a 10-year contract worth $700 million, the largest guaranteed contract in professional sports history. Following this announcement, Kevin Durant began trending on social media, particularly with references to “KD to the Warriors.” This trend emerged as people drew parallels between Ohtani’s move to the Dodgers and Durant’s 2016 decision to join the Golden State Warriors, with some responses to a prompt asking for a basketball analogy to Ohtani’s decision.
However, the comparison between Durant’s and Ohtani’s situations isn’t quite apt. Durant’s move came after his team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, nearly defeated the Warriors in the conference finals, with Durant playing alongside Russell Westbrook. Joining the team that had just beaten them seemed to significantly boost the Warriors’ strength. In contrast, Ohtani’s tenure with the Angels didn’t lead to postseason success or even a winning season, despite him winning MVP in 2023.
The influence of star players differs greatly between basketball and baseball. In basketball, having multiple stars like the Warriors did with Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green can be game-changing. Conversely, in baseball, even the best players fail to hit 7 out of 10 times, and an ace pitcher can neutralize a lineup of stars. Therefore, adding stars in baseball doesn’t guarantee championship success as it might in basketball.
While the Dodgers’ stars like Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts performed well in the regular season, their performance dipped in the playoffs against Arizona, leading to the Dodgers’ elimination. Over the span of Ohtani’s 10-year contract, it’s feasible that the Dodgers could win a World Series or two, but expecting a dynasty comparable to the Warriors is unrealistic.