NBA Rumors: San Antonio Spurs to pursue Kevin Durant in free agency
By Tom West
Despite hardly being considered as a possible destination for Kevin Durant, the San Antonio Spurs will reportedly consider ways to sign him in NBA free agency this summer.
When it comes to possible NBA teams who will attempt to sign Kevin Durant in free agency this summer, the list obviously includes pretty much everyone.
From the Golden State Warriors to his hometown Washington Wizards, there are plenty of ideas that have emerged. One team that has largely been left out of the conversation, though, is the San Antonio Spurs, but there’s a chance that could change.
According to Chris Mannix of The Vertical, the Spurs are actually a quiet possibility among all the other widely considered destinations:
"Golden State is considered a realistic option, San Antonio is lurking in the weeds, and it’s widely believed Boston will make its way onto Durant’s radar in the coming months. Indeed, a Bachelor-like courtship is set to commence…San Antonio has rebuilt its dynasty, but rival executives believe the Spurs will explore ways of adding Durant to the mix, and the franchise’s culture makes it intriguing."
Seeing as the Spurs have already assembled key pieces for their future once Tim Duncan has retired, it’s somewhat surprising to hear them mentioned as a team who will jump in the free agent race to sign Durant. They added LaMarcus Aldridge as their new elite scoring power forward last summer, and more to the point, they already have Kawhi Leonard at small forward, who’s quite possibly the best two-way player in the NBA right now. If they add Durant, how would he fit into their starting lineup?
Would the Spurs really move Aldridge to the five, keep Leonard at the three and bring in Durant at the four? Shifting to small ball would be a major change after they’ve typically used two genuine big men in their starting lineup for so long. Then again, if there’s one genius who can operate any style of team, it’s Gregg Popovich.
This is just one possibility, of course, and the 6-foot-9 Durant has spent plenty of minutes over the course of his career moving over to power forward in certain rotations.
As Mannix said, the Spurs’ culture alone makes them an interesting possibility. They’ve been the definition of class for decades and with Popovich, Durant instantly has the draw of an all-time great coach and basketball mind calling the shots. And with arguably the best bench in the NBA, Durant would have an elite supporting cast with the potential to form a scarily dominant forward duo alongside Leonard.
Not to mention, after having a remarkable season already at 57-10, the Spurs are the team that pose the greatest threat to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference. Just think what adding Durant to the mix could do.
Mannix also added in his report that Durant will enjoy being courted when he hits free agency this summer. For the very element of his personality that will enjoy the flattery, attention and so many great possibilities, Durant is going to at least listen to the countless pitches even if his favorite remains the Thunder. And until we hear otherwise, they still are.
Durant has never offered any indication that he’s straying away from his mindset of furiously pursuing a title with OKC, and that remains his sole focus until his team’s fate is decided in this year’s playoffs. Mannix even mentioned some recent comments from Durant, highlighting how happy he currently is with the Thunder’s chemistry.
One problem Kevin Durant can’t ignore, though, is that their composure can waver late in games, which is why they have more losses after having a lead at the start of the fourth quarter than any team in the league this season.
However, when free agency does roll around, maybe — to the surprise of most NBA fans — the Spurs could make a run at him too. We’ll just have to wait and see if we hear any more on what methods of adding him they’ll consider and how they would structure their lineups and rotations to accommodate one of the best scorers in history. From KD’s perspective, there are certainly an awful lot of positives for heading to San Antonio.