Kevin Durant's suitors won't just be bringing hopes and dreams to their meetings this weekend with the summer's biggest free agency target. They're bringing plans to put and keep Durant atop the NBA landscape. The Warriors will pitch joining the 73-win core that could establish itself as a dynasty with him. The Heat will offer the kind of success LeBron James found in their organizational discipline. The Thunder will talk to him of home and are reportedly trying to add Al Horford.
The Clippers were thought to be offering Durant a chance to be a part of a Big 3 with Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan, assuming that Blake Griffin would be involved in a sign-and-trade for Durant. But instead, the Orange County Register reports the Clippers' plans are a bit more grandiose:
It starts with mega-free agent Kevin Durant. From there, it moves to re-signing their own free agents, and lastly, it ends with the Clippers filling in the gaps once the market settles.Durant will be dealt with first.The Clippers are scheduled to meet with free-agency's top prize on the first full day of free agency (Friday) in New York, sending Coach Doc Rivers and owner Steve Ballmer to try and pitch the former MVP.
While all options will be discussed, the Clippers are expected to a highlight a scenario in which Durant would sign a deal to play alongside Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin.
To make the most competitive offer possible, the Clippers would have to trade J.J. Redick, Paul Pierce and C.J. Wilcox and renounce the rights to first-round pick Brice Johnson and all of their own free agents.
The Clippers could also discuss scenarios in which they trade one member of their "Big Three," either to a team with cap space or to the Thunder in a sign-and-trade.
That's a big idea. Some thoughts:
- This trumps what several clubs are offering regarding team-ups. The Celtics, for example, want to say that they can add another All-Star next to Durant (like Horford). The Clippers offer three All-Star-caliber guys as teammates.
- This would be insanely difficult to pull off, especially if the Clippers can't walk into their meeting with Durant on Friday and say "we have an offer on the table to take on (J.J) Redick and (Paul) Pierce right now, we can do this thing in 10 minutes." If their offer is, "If you agree to sign with us, we might be able to do this," that's likely not enough for Durant who will want concrete options. But if they do have those deals in the bag, it's going to be tempting.
- The Clippers would have no depth after this. Even if they re-signed the few players they have Bird rights to in free agency, they'd still be slumming for 9th and 10th guys on roster. This means a much bigger workload for Durant.
- This team would tear up things, though. Durant in a pick and roll with Chris Paul while Griffin cuts back door? Durant in the open floor with Griffin? Griffin posting up with Durant curling off a weak-side screen? So many weapons.
- That said, Durant and Griffin's games don't work seamlessly together. There might be some clunkiness. In many ways you can say that the Clipper Durant would fit best with is actually Redick.
- This offer does enable him to go to California, play for a superstar team, and have a great chance at besting the Warriors. It can't be overlooked.
- It also shows the aggressiveness of the Clippers under Steve Ballmer, who is basically saying he's willing to pay a luxury tax bill that is approximately more than the GDP of a small European nation (pre-Brexit).
We often hear these pie-in-the-sky ideas in free agency and they rarely come true. But the Clippers managed to get a meeting with Durant, one of only six teams scheduled to do so. They clearly don't intend to waste their opportunity.
