Kevin Durant reportedly will re-sign with Thunder on two-year deal
While Kevin Durant will have many options, a recent report suggests he will stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder on a short-term deal.
As soon as the Oklahoma City Thunder went home for the season after a historic collapse to the Golden State Warriors, the Kevin Durant free agency speculation went wild. However, ESPN’s Marc Stein reports Durant is most likely to stay put in OKC.
While seeing NBA superstars changing franchises may be more fun, this has always been and will continue to be the most likely scenario for Durant.
With Russell Westbrook set to hit free agency next offseason, Durant would be foolish to hitch his wagon to OKC for the long-term, but they have as good of a shot as anyone to knock off the Warriors with Durant next season.
Most insiders see the most likely scenario at present to be Kevin Durant staying in OKC on a two-year max deal with an opt-out after Year 1.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 31, 2016
Signing a deal with an opt-out next season gives Durant the flexibility to hit the open market if Westbrook decides to leave. With Westbrook and Durant, the Thunder are one of the best teams in the NBA, but without either of them, they become much less appealing.
There will be plenty of teams interested in Durant this offseason, with Eastern Conference teams like the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and his hometown Washington Wizards being able to make a compelling argument for Durant to jump aboard.
That being said, a drastic move out of OKC would be risky for Durant’s career. He is going to get paid no matter where he goes, and as Stein reports, the safe money will be with Durant staying on a short-term deal.
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