Top 25 NBA Free Agents for 2016

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Feb 9, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Kevin Durant

Despite what Anthony Davis has become, there’s not a doubt in anyone’s mind that Kevin Durant is the top prize on the market for 2016 NBA free agency.

What’s strange is that it almost seems as if we’ve forgotten how astonishingly good a healthy Durant is on a basketball court. We may have never seen a player with his size and length that can score with the ease, efficiency, and from as many different areas of the floor as he can. The fact that he played in only 27 games this past season due to a Jones fracture in his foot and complications from the surgery to repair that injury is both saddening and frustrating as a basketball fan. He’s so good that it seems unfair that we were robbed of a year of seeing him play.

Offense is clearly the biggest strength of Durant’s game. The fact that he’s shot over 50 percent from the field and over 39 percent from three in each of the past three seasons is incredible, particularly when you consider the volume of shots that he has to take. Moreover, he’s also a greatly improved playmaker in terms of his passing and creating for teammates, averaging over four assists per game in each of those past three seasons.

What’s overlooked, though, is Durant’s improvement on the defensive end of the floor in recent years. While he was never a bad defender, it always seemed as if he held back a bit on that end of the floor and didn’t fully use his physical tools to his advantage. That’s not the case anymore. He has shown an improved ability to use his length on the perimeter and the interior to affect shots while also using his quickness to hang with smaller players and then have the opportunity to use his tremendous length.

Durant’s abilities can’t be overstated, which is why the 26-year-old will have a bulls-eye painted on his chest by every team in free agency in 2016. Teams are already posturing to try and clear room to pay Durant basically whatever it takes to get him on their roster. There aren’t many players in the league that have earned that kind of respect around the league to where teams would adjust their roster and salary cap just for the chance to sign said individual.

Despite a number of teams trying to court Durant and despite the desire of many high-profile players to play in one of the major markets, it seems likely that it will come down to the Thunder and the Wizards for Durant.

The reasons that Durant would stay with the Thunder are obvious; he’s the face of the franchise and that’s the organization that he’s grown into a superstar with. That kind of familiarity and the loyalty that the organization has shown to him is something that will almost surely play heavily into Durant’s decision. The idea of keeping Russell Westbrook by his side is also something that has to make staying in Oklahoma City enticing for Durant.

However, Washington D.C. is home for Durant. In terms of narrative, the NBA is littered with the stories of players making a triumphant return home. It’s understandably appealing to an athlete to want to return to his hometown as a savior and hero, which is exactly how Durant would be treated if he were to join the Wizards. Playing alongside John Wall and possibly Bradley Beal isn’t exactly a bad notion to consider either if you’re Durant.

Durant’s free agency decision next summer will re-shape the NBA. He could very well put the Thunder back in the Draft Lottery, make the Wizards a title-contender, make the Eastern Conference substantially stronger, and start a new chapter in his already phenomenal career. With those kind of repercussions from his free agency decision in 2016, it’s no question that he’s the top dog in this free agency class.

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