NBA free agency: 10 destinations for Derrick Rose in 2017

The Oklahoma City Thunder could be a vastly different team by this time next year. Kevin Durant hits free agency this summer. While it is in his best interest to sign a one-year deal this free agency period to re-enter it again next year when the salary cap explodes, he could leave for a team like the Warriors or the Spurs.

The reason that Durant needs to stay with the Thunder for at least one more season is that he would re-enter free agency in 2017, but this time with All-NBA teammate Russell Westbrook. That way both could navigate free agency together to either re-up with the Thunder, join forces again in a new city, or ultimately go their separate ways.

Should Oklahoma City lose its two superstars next summer, what are the Thunder going to do? Who could they bring into at least making this worst case scenario not so gut-wrenching? If Durant and Westbrook both leave, it’s possible that the Thunder go hard after Rose in 2017 NBA free agency.

He plays with a similar flare of Westbrook and could be a great mentor for young backup point guard Cameron Payne. Oklahoma City seems to have a great basketball culture that could survive this potential scorched Earth Armageddon scenario with a Durant/Westbrook dual departure from the Sooner State.

It’ll take a few years at least to recover from that catastrophic of a mass exodus, Rose would be one of the players that could keep distraught Thunder fans in their seats at Chesapeake Energy Arena while general manager Sam Presti finds his next superstar or two in subsequent NBA Drafts.

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