NBA free agency: 5 places we’d hate to see Kevin Durant sign
By John Buhler
When Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant hits 2016 NBA free agency this summer, here are five places that his fans would hate to see him sign.
Kevin Durant will be the biggest name to hit 2016 NBA free agency this summer. While LeBron James could have conceivably left the Cleveland Cavaliers after opting out of his deal with the club (he’s stated he’ll re-up in Cleveland), there is growing speculation that Durant may leave the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer after nine years with the organization.
In all honesty, no, Durant should not leave the Thunder this summer, as it would be foolish. The 2015-16 Thunder were one game away from playing in the NBA Finals. He has another top seven player in the NBA as his teammate in point guard Russell Westbrook. Durant could go the one-year deal with a player option next year to re-enter free agency next summer and have even better options than he does now.
Durant would enter 2017 NBA free agency at the same time as Westbrook. The NBA Salary Cap is set to explode next summer to nearly $100 million. Durant will have played 10 years in Oklahoma City and could attain a super max contract with the Thunder, more money than he could make anywhere else. He could also realistically spurn Oklahoma City and skip town with Westbrook if Durant believes that he can’t win a championship with the Thunder.
Earlier this week, Durant stated that he’ll take his free agency pitches in Los Angeles, where he makes his offseason home. While he’ll probably re-sign with the Thunder on a one-year deal, he did say that the Golden State Warriors are the team most likely to pry him away from Oklahoma City.
While leaving the Thunder when the team and the organization is easily top four in the league would be both counterintuitive and ultimately vilify the ever-popular Durant, it’s entirely up to him if he’s done with the Thunder. If Durant were to leave Oklahoma City in free agency this summer, here are the five teams that fans of his would absolutely hate to see him sign with.
Next: 5. San Antonio Spurs.