Which team will Kevin Durant sign with during the summer of 2016? No one knows. He’s certainly made his rounds on the NBA rumor mill, though.
Yet again, Kevin Durant’s name is surfacing on the NBA rumor mill. With the summer nearing and Durant approaching unrestricted free agency, it’s not too surprising to see the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar emerging as an option for every team with cap space.
For those wondering which teams Durant has been linked to, this is your go-to list.
Durant will sign a max contract with whichever team he chooses, and there’s no objective reason to dispute his deservedness. The 27-year-old already has an NBA MVP award, a Finals appearance, and four scoring titles to complement his five All-NBA First Team and seven All-Star Game selections.
A resume like that guarantees a player a place in the Hall of Fame. It’s also generally accrued after the age of 27.
If Durant’s best years are ahead of him, then the NBA is right to be clamoring for his services. Whichever team Durant signs with will become an instant contender, and that’s why he’s widely expected to be the most coveted player on the open market.
The question is, which teams other than OKC have been linked to Durant over the course of the 2015-16 NBA regular season?
Next: Family Atmosphere
Boston Celtics
President of basketball operations Danny Ainge has done a downright masterful job of managing the Boston Celtics’ roster. He’s piled up draft picks, created significant cap space, and placed the team in a position of negotiating power come free agency.
According to Chris Forsberg of ESPN, Ainge would like nothing more than to complete the rebuilding process by bringing Kevin Durant to Boston.
"But Ainge’s desire to see Durant in green stretches back almost a decade, and it’s not just an assumption from him sitting next to Wanda Pratt at a Big 12 semifinal. Those who know Ainge best swear that he would have picked Durant No. 1 in the 2007 draft over Greg Oden had the pingpong balls bounced Boston’s way. Ainge’s son Austin, currently Boston’s director of player personnel, wasn’t a team employee in 2007, but he noted in June 2014 that, “I was in the draft room, and they would have taken Durant. I did have some inside information there.” His story has been vetted by Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck."
It’s a plausible idea.
The biggest contract on Boston’s 2016-17 salary cap table is Amir Johnson‘s non-guaranteed $12 million. After that, Avery Bradley’s $8,269,663 is the only deal worth more than $6.6 million—and that contract belongs to All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas.
The cap space exists, and Durant seems open to the idea of signing with the Celtics.
Kevin Durant on Boston. "It's cold but they love sports here. It's a family atmosphere I feel when I walk around the city." #FreeAgency
— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) March 16, 2016
Celtics fans showered Durant with chants of, “Come to Boston,” to which he had the professional response.
Kevin Durant said he didn't hear the "Come to Boston" chants. When told about them and asked for a response: "No thoughts really."
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) March 17, 2016
Ainge has built a roster that permits Durant to sign with and thrive in Boston.
Thomas is an All-Star at point guard, and Jae Crowder is a versatile forward who can play both the 3 and the 4. Bradley is a 3-and-D specialist, and the interior is flush with quality players who can score along the interior or the perimeter.
Throw in respected head coach Brad Stevens, and Boston owning the 19-49 Brooklyn Nets’ unprotected first-round draft pick, and the Celtics have the quite the offer to make to Durant.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that Boston is currently 39-29 without Durant.
Next: The Juggernaut
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are the most dominant team to come along in quite some time. They won 67 games and the NBA championship in 2014-15, and are flirting with history at 61-6 in 2015-16—a record that puts Golden State on pace to shatter the Chicago Bulls’ all-time best record of 72-10.
According to NBA rumors guru Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Warriors aren’t just dominating the basketball season; they’re expected to do the same in free agency.
"The Golden State Warriors’ plan of pursuit predates their 2015 championship run, a bold plot to declare the futility of resistance. It isn’t only that the NBA champions are determined to recruit Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. The truth is that they’re the most intriguing destination to him. If Durant leaves the Thunder, the Warriors are the significant frontrunners to sign him, league sources told The Vertical."
If you were angry about LeBron James joining the Miami Heat, I can’t even imagine how you’d respond to this.
If Kevin Durant were to join the Warriors, he’d be doing more than teaming up with fellow MVP Stephen Curry; he’d be signing with the most dominant team since Michael Jordan‘s Bulls. Adding a former MVP to the mix would create such an imbalanced playing field that—sorry, but there’s no follow-up.
All that you need to know is that Los Angeles Lakers fans would ask, “How could David Stern justify vetoing the Chris Paul trade if Adam Silver won’t do the same for the Durant signing?”
Curry is on pace to win his second consecutive MVP award, and Durant is expected to join him on the All-NBA First Team. Golden State’s starting lineup is also made up of All-Star big man Draymond Green, All-NBA shooting guard Klay Thompson, and 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala.
Of that group, only Iguodala is hitting free agency in 2016. It’s safe to say Durant would be an ideal replacement.
Next: The New Showtime?
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers will be tied to every big-name free agent until kingdom come. Past free agency and trade acquisitions include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Pau Gasol, and Shaquille O’Neal, which makes it easy enough to see why fans are so adamant in their belief that anything is possible.
In a segment on ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith revealed that Durant’s preferred destination in free agency is Los Angeles—specifically the Los Angeles Lakers (h/t Steve DelVecchio of Larry Brown Sports).
"“Regardless of how senseless it may (sound), in one breath I’m hearing that if Kevin Durant doesn’t stay in Oklahoma City, L.A. is his primary objective and landing spot as opposed to South Beach or even his home of Washington, D.C.,” Smith said."
Durant has since vehemently opposed Smith’s report, claiming that neither he nor anyone around him speaks to the ESPN reporter.
Whether or not Smith’s report is true, there’s no question that the Lakers will be in play come free agency. The young roster has promise with the likes of Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and D’Angelo Russell, and cap space will exist with Kobe Bryant’s $25 million and Roy Hibbert‘s $15.6 million coming off the books.
The question is, can the Lakers make an attractive enough offer beyond the money and history the organization possesses?
The roster has loads of potential, but it’s far from championship-caliber in its current state. Thus, the only way for Los Angeles to come through on the potential of signing Durant is by bringing another star-caliber talent to town with him.
It certainly has the cap space and allure to do so, whether Smith’s report was accurate or not.
Next: The Big City
New York Knicks
The presence of nine-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony and 13-time NBA champion Phil Jackson make anything possible for the New York Knicks. That doesn’t necessarily mean his signing is realistic, but Kevin Durant will at least briefly consider New York as a potential destination.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, Durant isn’t upset about the fact that people are linking him to a team that calls, “One of the greatest cities in the world,” home.
"“They link everybody with New York City,’’ Durant said after the Thunder’s shootaround at the Garden. “It’s one of the greatest cities in the world. It’s not a bad thing. It’s a great city. Great place to visit, great place to live, I’m sure. But they link everybody, not just me. “I spent some nice time up here playing basketball in New York City. Some of the most memorable times in my life was coming up here, playing outside, just getting the pure love of the game up here. I remember that, always going to remember that the rest of my life and tell my kids about that when I get older. I come from Maryland. We know how big basketball is here. “Of course I enjoy playing here and the Garden. Every movie you watch, you had a scene playing basketball in the Garden. Everything reverts back to being in the Garden, whether [it’s] musicians, basketball players. To play here is just a blessing.’’"
That certainly sounds like a ringing endorsement of New York City and Madison Square Garden.
It’s easy enough to see why the rumor mill went crazy when Durant said, “To play here is just a blessing.” That is the furthest thing from an acceptance of a contract offer, but it suggests that he’ll at least listen to what Anthony and Jackson have to offer.
The issue for the Knicks: they may not have enough to offer.
Rotational structure issues aside, New York is expected to have roughly $18 million in cap space—a number that isn’t quite big enough to offer Durant a max contract. Jose Calderon‘s $7,708,427 salary is a massive burden that couldn’t be traded, and Arron Afflalo‘s $8 million player option could prove more costly than expected.
If New York uses its stretch provision on Calderon, which would enable it to pay smaller chunks of the $7.7 million over multiple years, and both Afflalo and Derrick Williams opt out, New York could potentially make a hefty offer.
It’s not the most likely of moves, but it’s certainly an option.
Next: The Eternal System
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the most accomplished organizations in NBA history. They’ve won 50-plus games in 17 consecutive seasons, own five championship rings, and have one of the greatest head coaches of all-time in Gregg Popovich.
According to Chris Mannix of The Vertical, rival executives believe that the Spurs will look for ways to sign Durant this coming summer.
"San Antonio has rebuilt its dynasty, but rival executives believe the Spurs will explore ways of adding Durant to the mix, and the franchise’s culture makes it intriguing."
This could create structural issues, and that’s where we begin.
Kawhi Leonard is the starting small forward, and it’d be hard to make a case against his remaining such. He’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, an NBA champion with a Finals MVP award, and is fighting Durant for the second spot on the 2016 All-NBA First Team.
Due to the defensive flexibility it permits, moving Leonard to a position other than the 3 would be ill-advised.
Thus, it stands to reason that Durant would be asked to play the 4; he may lack the bulk, but certainly has the size and skill to do so at 6’10” with a 7’4″ wingspan. The issue with that, of course, is that LaMarcus Aldridge plays power forward.
For those who didn’t hear, Aldridge signing with the Spurs was contingent upon his continuing to play the 4 instead of an expected move to the 5.
More hoops habit: Is the next Kevin Durant in the 2016 NBA Draft? It seems so.
The question is, would Aldridge be willing to shift to the 5 if it meant playing in the most explosive frontcourt in the NBA? He’d need to if this dream is to come to fruition.