Kevin Durant: Best Options In NBA Free Agency

May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) looks on after a play against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

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Someone has to fill Kobe Bryant‘s gigantic shoes. Could Kevin Durant be the player who shoulders that load? Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Los Angeles Lakers

If the Los Angeles Lakers stay the course with the current roster, then there’s no rational reason for Kevin Durant to consider signing the dotted line. Going to a team with young and generally unproven players would do him no favors in the prime of his career.

If Los Angeles is able to parlay its promising youth and the No. 2 NBA Draft pick into a second star, however, it’d suddenly become a viable option.

Say what you will about the current state of the Lakers, but this is an organization with an uncanny ability to acquire stars. That includes 2012, when Los Angeles added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to a roster that already featured Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

It may not have worked out as planned, but the fact that Los Angeles had four stars on the roster at once during the Jim Buss era implies that something similar could be done in 2016.

If Los Angeles were to sign Durant, other free agents would inevitably express interest. It’s the presence of the younger assets and the No. 2 overall selection, however, that’d create the most interesting opportunities via trade.

The Lakers have long foregone true rebuilding processes by securing superstars in their prime. Durant could be the next in line.

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