The "what if" moment that changed every NBA team forever

Washington Wizards: What if the Wizards signed Kevin Durant?

Though it might seem laughable now, prior to Kevin Durant's free agency in 2015, there was buzz that he might sign with the Washington Wizards. After all, they were the closest NBA team to his hometown, and returning home was kind of in style after LeBron returned home to Cleveland. Of course, Durant didn't even take a meeting with the Wizards and ultimately signed with the Golden State Warriors.

But what if he had? Could the Wizards have swayed him to switch conferences and join up with John Wall and Bradley Beal? And if they did, how would that team have fared? The closest the Wizards got to the NBA Finals was Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Boston Celtics in 2017.

With Durant, Washington would have certainly had a higher seed and probably would have met up with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The series could have gone to seven, and if the Wizards prevailed, then they would have faced the Golden State Warriors.

Without Durant, the Warriors might not have torn their way through to the Finals, and Washington might've put up a better fight than that Cavs team, given that they would be more evenly matched. At the very least, the Wizards could have made the NBA Finals and been rivals to the Cavs, who dominated the East for a four-year stretch, with Durant. Given how it has been 45 years since their last deep playoff run, it certainly would have been nice.