As the clock wound down on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2015-2016 season, the speculation over Kevin Durant’s future increased as he becomes the crown jewel of NBA free agency.
With the Thunder losing in the Conference Finals for the third time in five years the question became whether or not Durant would leave the franchise he has played for his entire career since being drafted second overall in 2007.
Free agency is set to begin on July 1st at midnight which means Durant has a lot of time to think about where he will spend the prime years of his career playing. Durant will have the pick of the litter, as there will be a long list of teams looking to have a meeting with the four time scoring champion.
With pretty much every NBA franchise looking to sign Durant to a multi-year mega deal, here is a shortlist of the top contenders to win the Kevin Durant sweepstakes.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Before we get ahead of ourselves here with this list, there is still a very strong likelihood of Durant staying with the Thunder. He has been quoted in the past saying how much Oklahoma City has meant to him and calling it “home” for himself and his family. He has been very active in giving back to the Oklahoma City community for various causes.
On the court, despite the Thunder’s recent playoff shortcomings there are few better situations than what the Thunder offer Durant. With a rookie head coach in Billy Donovan the team managed to finish third in the dangerous western conference. The Thunder had a well-rounded season leading the league in rebounding per game, and finishing second in scoring behind Golden State, third in field goal percentage, and fourth in blocks per game.
With fellow superstar Russell Westbrook’s contract ending after next season, many believe that Durant could take a short-term deal with a player option in 2017 so he can take advantage of the salary cap potentially increasing over $100 million. Similar to the contract LeBron James signed when he returned to Cleveland.
Golden State Warriors
As the old saying goes, “if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em.” In February basketball insider Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical shocked everyone when he reported that the Warriors are a “serious threat” to sign Durant.
There’s a lot to like for Durant going to Golden State. The Warriors are the reigning champions who are back in the Finals after finishing the regular season with a historic 73-9 record. They have an incredibly deep bench and one of the highest scoring offenses in recent memory lead by league MVP Stephen Curry and Coach of the Year Steve Kerr. If Durant has winning a championship on his mind above everything else and is willing to play a more supportive role in Golden State than his leading role with the Thunder, it could make sense for him. But as Bobby Marks wrote for The Vertical, there are a lot of moves for Golden State to make in order to make things work financially.
Washington Wizards
A player returning home to play basketball is nothing new to NBA free agency. In recent years it’s happened with players such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Corey Joseph. Durant could follow suit and sign with the Wizards and help guide his hometown team to success.
With Bradley Beal entering free agency and seeking a max deal the Wizards could use that money instead on Durant. The Wizards have a young star in John Wall at point guard and recently hired Durant’s former head coach Scott Brooks to lead them.
Despite missing out of the playoffs this season the Wizards finished in the top 10 in field goal percentage, assists, steals, and points per game and could definitely use Durant’s skills to get them back in the playoffs.
The familiarity of the city, Brooks as coach and an easier Eastern Conference could entice Durant to move to the east coast. However playing at home can be a double-edged sword for some athletes and it could factor in Durant’s decision.
San Antonio Spurs
Similar to the situation with the Warriors, if Durant is championship hungry and willing to do whatever it takes to win his first ring, then Gregg Popovich has a spot with Durant’s name on it.
While everyone’s eyes were focused on the Golden State Warriors 73 win season the Spurs quietly had their best season in franchise history with a 67-15 record. The Spurs finished the regular season second in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, fourth in assists, sixth in blocks, and allowed the fifth fewest turnovers per game.
What has been remarkable about the Spurs is their ability to retool their roster and still be successful. The Spurs are in the midst of a transition from the Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker era to a new era that focuses around Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge.
While the Spurs aren’t known for making big moves in free agency, the signing of Aldridge last year showed that the Spurs aren’t afraid to spend money when necessary. Like the Warriors, the Spurs would need to make multiple moves to make the signing work. But with Durant the Spurs dynasty could continue with a brand new big three.
Los Angeles Lakers
With Kobe Bryant’s illustrious career ending in Los Angeles the Lakers are looking to start a new chapter by making a big splash in free agency. What better way to do that than by having Durant be the next great player to wear purple and gold.
With around $50 million in contracts coming off the books this off-season the Lakers have a lot of money to burn and are not afraid to use it. If Durant is looking for the biggest payday, as anyone in his position would be, then his eyes could be focused on LA.
Along with a huge pay day and playing in one of the NBA’s biggest markets the Lakers are slowing building a core of young talent for Durant to potentially lead with the #2 pick in this year’s draft and top-10 picks in D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. When it comes to NBA free agency it’s never safe to rule out the Lakers.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are the dark horse on this list in the Durant sweepstakes, but the idea of Durant heading north of the border has been teased to Raptors fans for quite sometime.
To start Durant has said in the past how he grew up a Raptors fan watching Vince Carter and “wanted to play for the Toronto Raptors.” He also has spent summers in Toronto, where one year Raptors Global Ambassador Drake was fined $25,000 for tampering after giving Durant a shout out at the annual OVO festival. Durant is also friends with Kyle Lowry and was texting Lowry during the playoffs when Lowry was struggling to score.
To add more fuel to the fire, a recent article written on Sportsnet written by an anonymous player agent claims that Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri is looking to swing for the fences this offseason by resigning DeMar DeRozan and making a splash in free agency. Which could be Durant among other notable free agents.
The Raptors are coming off their best season in franchise history where they finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 56-26 record and were two games away from the NBA Finals. Going farther than any other team before them. The addition of Durant in Toronto would shock the basketball world. But when it comes to free agency anything is possible.
Prediction
Kevin Durant signs a two-year deal with the Thunder with a player option in 2017. Where he will opt out in 2017 and capitalize on the increasing salary cap. Whether or not he stays in Oklahoma City will be determined by how well the Thunder do next season and potentially what Russell Westbrook decides to do.