Kevin Durant’s Free Agency Destination Power Rankings

5. Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers‘ Big Thee of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan felt like it was approaching its last gasp last season, and that was before Griffin was unable to stay healthy and stay out of trouble.

However, CP3 was a third-tier MVP candidate last season and the Clippers proved they could win games by surrounding Paul-Jordan pick and rolls with shooters on the perimeter. Inserting a shooter like Durant into that equation would make the Clippers bonafide title contenders in a way they’ve never been during the Blake Griffin era.

If the Thunder are going to lose Kevin Durant, a sign-and-trade for Griffin would make sense for both teams. OKC would get better compensation for KD than they’d get anywhere else, while the Clippers would get a better player who would fit in better with their offense and win-now timeline.

Griffin is a transcendent star at his best, he’s worked hard to add some range to his jump shot and he has chemistry with Jordan in tight spaces in the paint. It wasn’t long ago that he was the best player in the 2015 NBA Playoffs, averaging 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.

Spacing would be more of a problem for OKC, but Griffin could develop that same kind of paint chemistry with Steven Adams and he’d enjoy a younger, more dynamic floor general in Russell Westbrook.

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Unfortunately, sign-and-trade deals of this magnitude are exceedingly rare, even if it’d make sense for both sides. There’s also the slight problem that the Clippers would still have to worry about making their way through the Warriors and Spurs in the stacked Western Conference.

The Clippers would also have to be under the luxury tax threshold for a sign-and-trade to work, and in that scenario, Durant’s salary would only be $20 million instead of the $25.9 million he’d be eligible for by just signing with a team straight up. Sign-and-trades also require the player to sign for at least three years — a problem for a player whose best move would be to opt out again next summer.

If Durant is not going to join one of those top-two contenders, why wouldn’t he just stay in OKC where he’s comfortable, where he’ll make the most money and where he’s already proven he can knock off — or at least seriously challenge — those Spurs/Warriors juggernauts?

Next: No. 4