Report: Warriors, Heat are only real players to pry Durant out of OKC in free agency
Could he just be taking meetings with all of these teams in order to see what they think of him?
By
Zach Harper
•
2 min read
The biggest question for this summer isn't what Evan Turner is going to get in free agency (although that could be bewildering). It's whether or not Kevin Durant will leave Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, or somebody else. Durant's decision could be on par with LeBron James deciding to leave his incumbent team in 2010 and again in 2014. It's something that could truly reshape the landscape of the NBA, depending on where he goes or maybe even doesn't go.
A lot of people are weighing in between now and that decision. One agent told Erik Horne of The Oklahoman that you've got to be a good team with a better chance to win than the Thunder. That team would have to be in a better market than OKC too. Of the potential suitors, he says that leaves only the Warriors and the Heat as potential poachers.
Another agent thinks, in the case of Durant, the club that wants to pry him away from the Thunder "needs to be a good team, in a better market with a better chance to win than OKC."
"So Golden State and Miami become the only real players," the agent said. "It's too hard to justify a move to Los Angeles (Lakers) or New York because they are not close to winning. Houston's out."
It's important to take this with a grain of salt because it's very possible the agent is putting that out there for a reason. That's what tends to happen around these times. Try to shape the league with rumors and hope it benefits your team or client moving forward. But what the agent said also makes a lot of sense. As we've seen recently, the Lakers have stunk at both basketball and bringing in big-name free agents. They couldn't keep Dwight Howard. They couldn't get LaMarcus Aldridge to sign with them. They are now in the post-Kobe Bryant era, so it might be easier moving forward to convince someone to play for them. But Durant isn't likely to just search out a tougher road for some fame. He's already famous.
The Boston Celtics have an intriguing situation, but they don't really have the star power to pair with Durant. Unless they can flip their assets for another star to put next to Durant and Isaiah Thomas, moving East for Celtic green seems like a step backward for Durant. There have already been reports that Durant won't consider Houston.
That leaves the Heat and Warriors as the main suitors if we're going by this process of elimination laid out by the agent. The Warriors are going to be aggressive this summer, according to Joe Lacob. Failing to cap the 73-win season with a championship has lit a fire under them. They're also reportedly going to try to convince Dirk Nowitzki to leave Dallas to chase another ring.
Miami has a tough situation because of the uncertainty surrounding Chris Bosh. We don't know if he'll be able to play again after two straight years of scares with blood clots. That's a big chunk of money tied up, and until he either is able to play without worry or ends up retiring due to the condition, you can't really build much with so much salary in limbo. But Pat Riley is great at getting a meeting and ruling that meeting. If Durant decides to leave the Thunder this summer, he'll have no shortage of places to consider.
